


Not So Easily Broken

by bragimitchelldurin



Series: The Erebor Chronicles [1]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Angst, BAMF Fíli, BAMF Kíli, Battle of Five Armies, Brother Feels, Dark Magic, Durin Family, Feels, Gen, Possession, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-04
Updated: 2013-09-02
Packaged: 2017-12-22 09:55:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 33,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/911858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bragimitchelldurin/pseuds/bragimitchelldurin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU The Battle of the Five Armies is over. Thorin is once again King under the Mountain with his nephews by his side. Yet it seems that peace will not come so easily. Someone is trying to undermine the Line of Durin, but like Balin said, “The Line of Durin will not be so easily broken.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the Hobbit, it’s characters or anything that relates to the wonderful world of J.R.R. Tolkien. I am simply borrowing for the sake of telling a story.
> 
> Also, thank you to my wonderful beta, Nathália!

The battle was over. 

The slopes of Erebor and the plains of the Desolation of Smaug were riddled with the bodies of the slain. Dwarves, Elves, Wargs, Men and Orcs alike laid together, staining the soil with a mixture of red and black blood. Bilbo Baggins traveled through the mass of bodies, looking for any signs of the thirteen members of the company. 

More importantly, he was looking for the King under the Mountain. 

The last moments between them had been less than favorable and Bilbo prayed that he had the chance to reconcile with the majestic Thorin Oakenshield. 

At first he spotted the brothers Óin and Gloin. Both were beginning to set up a mini infirmary for those that they found wounded. With a nod in their direction, he continued on. Dori and Nori were the next to be found, supporting a disheveled Ori between them as they helped him hop off the battlefield, seeing as how it was rather difficult for Ori to walk himself with an Orc arrow in his knee. Bifur was leading Bombur who had Bofur slung over his shoulder towards the healers. When Bofur saw Bilbo he smiled a grand smile beneath his crooked hat. At the top of a hill Bilbo found the wise Balin who was staring off in the distance. Bilbo came to stand next to him, noticing the concern in the old dwarf’s eyes. 

“Is everything alright?” Bilbo asked.

Balin nodded as his look of concern turned to relief. Bilbo cast his gaze to where Balin was watching and relief flooded him as well. Here came Dwalin, covered in the mess of war while supporting a wounded yet very much alive Thorin Oakenshield. 

Bilbo sighed in relief. The Lonely Mountain still had its king. 

When the two warriors reached the hill, Thorin’s deep silver eyes fell immediately on the Hobbit. “Bilbo,” his gruff voice greeted.

It was hard to tell whether he was glad or angry to see Bilbo. Not sure how to react Bilbo held his head high and kept a relieved yet worried look plastered on his face. 

“What are you doing here?” Thorin questioned.

So, angry it was. “I thought I told you I never wanted to see you again in this kingdom. You took the Arkenstone and you bartered it like a common coin. You had no right.” But then Thorin’s face began to relax. “And I’ve never been more glad that you did.”

Bilbo felt relieved and gave a smirk. Balin and Dwalin stood in the background, watching the scene with smiles on their faces. “If you hadn’t betrayed me like that, no doubt we would all be dead. You really are full of surprises, Master Hobbit. I am sorry for my behavior. I owe you my life.”

Bilbo smiled and took Thorin’s outstretched hand. Once their hands broke apart, Thorin said, “We must find the others.”

“I saw most of them on my way to find you,” Bilbo replied.

“Who did you see?” Balin inquired.

Using his fingers, Bilbo began to recount who he saw. “Óin, Gloin, Dori, Ori, Bifur, Nori, Bombur, Bofur and you three.”

Thorin’s look began to go back to his stern natural look. Bilbo then realized who he had not said. Where were Fíli and Kíli? 

Thorin spun around and began to head back into the thickest part of the battlefield. Not three steps in did he fall to his knees, grunting in pain. Dwalin and Balin rushed to his side, lifting him to his feet. “You are in no condition to go searching, Thorin,” Balin stated.

“I must find them, Balin.”

“And we will. Master Baggins and I will continue to search for them. Dwalin, will you take him to see Óin?”

With a nod as his confirmation, Dwalin slung Thorin’s arm around his shoulders and began to heave him off. Thorin looked like he was about ready to break free from Dwalin’s aid but Dwalin kept a tight grip on his arm as they traveled out of sight. So Balin and Bilbo ventured further into the chaos and rubble left by the battle. With every dead dwarf they passed that wasn’t one of the young heirs, Bilbo felt a sense of relief and distress. Relief because it meant there was still a chance they were alive; distress because he knew that if anything bad were to have happened to the lads, it would tear Thorin apart. 

A familiar voice could be heard on the wind. One of youth and worry as he shouted the name of his brother. Bilbo was the first to hear the voice and rushed towards it. Rounding a boulder he found the youngest heir leaning against the giant rock, his left arm pressing against his right shoulder where an arrow was protruding. Cuts were forming on his face and a deep gash was evident on his right leg. At first, Kíli didn’t see Bilbo as he continued to call out. “Fíli! Fíli, where are you?”

Bilbo rushed to Kíli, calling for Balin to join him. As Balin came rushing around, Kíli spotted Bilbo and smiled. “Mr. Boggins!”

“Are you alright?” Bilbo asked, feeling stupid for asking such a stupid question. Of course he wasn’t alright! He was battered and wounded! 

Kíli grimaced and nodded. “Have you seen Fíli?” Kíli asked.

“Not yet. We need to get you to the healers.”

As Bilbo reached out to help Kíli, he pushed the hobbit away. “No, I have to find Fíli.”

“We’ll find him, laddie, but first we must get you better.”

“Not until I’ve found Fíli.”

There was no talking the youngster out of this. The brothers were nigh inseparable. It was a shock to have found one without the other, to be truthfully honest. Bilbo could not recall one time that the two brothers were seen without the other, unless you include them being separated during the thunder battle in the Misty Mountains. 

Balin reached out to Kíli, trying to urge him to get off the rock so he could help him away. One step and Kíli faltered, unable to put too much weight on his leg. “You are in no condition to go scouting. We need to get this arrow out of you and get your leg bandaged before it becomes infected. Come on, laddie.”

“But Fíli…”

“I’ll see to it that he is taken care of,” Bilbo cut him off.

Reluctantly Kíli allowed Balin to escort him off of the battlefield. Once more Bilbo found himself alone in the heart of the battlefield, searching.

It took fruitless hours of search. The battle had been on a scale of epic proportions, covering the entire area outside the gates of Erebor. He thought he saw a shadow move out of the corner of his eye yet none was there. 

Where in Middle Earth could the Lion of Durin have gone? The sun was beginning to set. The sky was turning a shade of orange and pink as the sun kissed the horizon line of the world. Still no sign of Fíli. 

Bilbo did not want to return to the healer’s tent. He did not want to face Thorin and Kíli, telling them that he hadn’t found Fíli and was giving up for the night. No, he needed to find him. 

It was in that moment a hand grabbed his foot. It had caught him off guard, scaring the wits out of him as he looked down. The arm of someone stuck beneath the body of a Warg had been the culprit, red running down through the bracer.

Not just any bracer. It was Fíli’s bracer. 

Bilbo did all he could to move the Warg off of him, telling Fíli, “It’s alright, I’m here. You’re safe now.”

A few nudges later the body rolled off. Bilbo wasn’t sure how he managed, considering the monster was bigger than his lovely green door back at Hobbiton. It must have been the adrenaline or the sheer will to bring the prince back alive that gave the small Hobbit the strength he needed. Once the body rolled off the dwarf Bilbo was relieved to see Fíli alive, breathing and somewhat conscious. A large gash was on his head with blood leaking down his face, crusting in his blonde beard and braids. There were gashes in his leather from being struck with a large weapon, the blood having long dried up already. One of his swords was cast away from him, the other held firmly in his hand. 

Fíli’s blue eyes found Bilbo’s. “Bilbo?” the blonde dwarf asked in disbelief.

“Yes, it is and might I say how relieved I am to see you.”

“Kíli…” he asked after a violent cough racked his body.

“He’s alright. He’s safe. And you will be too.”

Fíli gave a nod before he drifted off into unconsciousness. Bilbo sighed. He had found him. Alive. That was the good part. One small problem: how in the world was he going to carry him back?

TBC…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it has been a while since I’ve written any sort of fanfiction whatsoever so this probably is rubbish and crappy. Not really a cliffhanger seeing as how the action doesn’t start until about the fourth chapter. The first three chapters are mainly set up chapters to bridge the gap so sorry if they seem a bit slow but they are rather important. The importance of this one: the line of Durin lives! Please read and, if it catches your fancy, review.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to my wonderful beta, Nathália!

Bilbo was completely unsure how he was going to be able to carry a full size, armored, heavily equipped and wounded dwarf back to the healers. Pushing the Warg off Fíli had already spent most of his energy and power but there was no way he was leaving Fíli out here all by himself. Who knew who or what was still out there on the plains or if Fíli would survive long enough for him to leave and come back. 

Thankfully, someone, probably Balin, had noticed the longevity of Bilbo’s absence and therefore had sent someone to make sure that the Hobbit was alright. Strangely enough, they had chosen Bifur for the job so when Bifur had found Bilbo and the unconscious Fíli, it took quite a bit to try to communicate with him. After all, Bifur could understand Bilbo; however, Bilbo knew absolutely no Khuzdul whatsoever so he understood next to none of what the dwarf with an axe in his head was saying to him. 

After quite a bit of work Bilbo and Bifur made a plan to get Fíli back to Óin. While Bifur carried the young prince, Bilbo had gathered up the swords and carried them within his arms. Oh how he was reminded of when Fíli first sat those swords in his arms at Bag End. _“Careful with these, I just had them sharpened.”_

And Bilbo had thrown them out of his arms and onto the floor of his home without a care in the world. Fíli never left Bilbo live that down and often gave him grief for it. He often found himself at the brunt of jokes of Fíli and Kíli during the quest. As much as it had annoyed him, it was one of Bilbo’s favorite things about the quest. No matter how sour the situation he could always rely on the Durin boys (and sometimes Bofur and Bombur) to lighten the mood. 

When they had carried Fíli into the Healer’s tent, Kíli was the first to look up from the cot he was sitting on. He nearly pushed over poor Óin who was treating his leg. “Fíli!”  


It took Óin and Balin to keep Kíli from leaving the cot and damaging himself further. “Relax, laddie,” Balin tried coaxing.

“No, I have to see that he is alright! Fíli! Fíli, please! Open your eyes!”

However, Fíli could not, for the pleas of his brother went unheard in his state. 

Óin handed the bandages he was using to wrap Kíli’s leg to Balin before he walked over to the prince. First, he held his hand over Fíli’s nose and mouth, relaxing as he felt a steady and strong rhythm in the dwarf’s breathing. 

“It’s alright, Kíli. He’s alive,” Óin replied.

Kíli seemed to relax a little but only just, seeing as how he was still trying to force his way to his brother. Bilbo backed off a little to allow Óin to examine Fíli further and relief flooded the hobbit’s face when he saw Óin’s lips twitch into a smile. “Aye, the lad will be just fine. He’s lost a lot of blood and I’ll need to clean his wounds but other than that, he’ll be just fine. It’ll take a lot more than any ol’ Orc or Goblin to bring down your brother, laddie.”

Kíli sighed in relief, allowing Balin to finally dress his leg wound without any problem. 

Moreover, Óin did as he said he would. He cleaned up Fíli’s wounds, wiping away the blood from his hair and skin and promptly dressed each and every one before tucking him under some blankets. Although Kíli’s leg had been dressed, the only remaining problem was the arrow still in his shoulder. Bilbo, luckily, slipped away so as to not hear the scream of agony that escaped Kíli’s lips the moment the arrow was pulled from his shoulder. He had seen enough blood for one day. 

He managed to find a nice boulder that looked out on the horizon. From where he sat he was able to watch the sun set on the western horizon. The same horizon line that the company had traveled from when they left his little hobbit hole of Bag End. 

A smile tugged at his lips as he thought of his comfy chair, his garden and his books. He was looking forward to the day he would step foot back in his home, yet he knew nothing would ever be the same. He had seen so much, endured many things most only ever heard in stories. Gandalf had been right that fateful day. 

“You’ll have a tale or two to tell when you come back.”

“Can you promise that I will come back?” Bilbo had asked, holding his cup of tea tightly in his hands. The wizard hesitated and breathed out, unsure of whether or not to answer the question. With a shake of his head, he replied, “No, and if you do, you will not be the same.”

The old Bilbo Baggins had disappeared once he ran from his door without his handkerchief. And frankly, Bilbo was glad. 

The old wizard came to stand next to Bilbo, leaning on his staff. 

“It’s a good thing you found him when you did. Any more time out there and he might not have made it,” Gandalf said.

“So he will be alright?”

“Yes. They all will. It was a good thing that the Elves and Men came to their aid. I’m quite sure the dwarves would not have been quite so fortunate without them.”

“Yes, quite fortunate.” 

Gandalf looked at the Hobbit with a gleam in his eyes, as if saying he knew why they had received the aid. Bilbo looked back at the wizard and asked with an innocent face. “What?”

“Nothing. Hobbits are remarkable people. They always surprise you.”

“That they do.” Both turned around to see Thorin who was leaning heavily against a crutch and very much out of bed which he wasn’t supposed to be. 

“Save me from the stubbornness of dwarves, Thorin Oakenshield. What are you doing out and about?” Gandalf asked.

“I needed to find the Hobbit. It seems that not only do I owe him my life, but the lives of my kin. You were right, Gandalf, Hobbits are remarkable creatures. Young Master Baggins here has proven that fact many times.”

Bilbo felt slightly embarrassed and at the same time completely shocked. Sure, he had earned the trust of Thorin once before after saving him from Azog and was then cast out after stealing the Arkenstone - but this time was different. Perhaps this time it was because he felt like he didn’t deserve these kind words. After all, he may have found the lads but he wasn’t the one to carry them back. That would have been Balin and Bifur. So lost in his thoughts he did not hear the question that Thorin had asked him until he noticed that both Gandalf and Thorin’s eyes were fixed upon him. Bilbo asked, trying to be as polite as he could without revealing that he hadn’t been paying any attention.

“Thorin asked if you would perhaps remain here for some time to witness the ceremony of his proper coronation of King Under the Mountain…as his personal guest.”

“I…I don’t know what to say.”

“A yes would suffice,” Thorin replied with a grin.

Bilbo smiled, tucking his thumbs under his suspenders and puffing his chest out quite proudly with a bow of his head. “It would be an honor, my lord.”

TBC…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, yes, another boring, dull and uneventful chapter. The next chapter will start delving into the rest of the plot. As a bit of a tease, let’s just say Fíli isn’t quite his chipper self when he wakes up. Please read and review!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you once again to my wonderful beta, Nathália! And now, on to the story!

**Chapter 3**

Fíli bolted upright from his bed with sweat glistening on his skin. His breathing was quick and labored, his heart pounding against his bruised ribs.

It took him a few moments to regain his composure and gather his bearings. He was in a healing tent, that he was sure of. The overpowering smell of Óin’s salves and blood were proof of that. Looking to his left, Fíli let out a hefty sigh for in the bed next to him lay a sleeping and very much alive Kíli. Fíli was glad to see the steady rise and fall of his brother’s chest as he slept.

Between the two of them, asleep in a chair was Thorin. The position at which he fell asleep did not seem all that comfortable but Fíli was just glad to see that his family was alive. The last thing he remembered was being on the battlefield, alone and wounded. He thought he would never see his family again.

As his mind became content with where he was, he began to feel the pain in his torso from his sudden movement. Fíli grimaced, feeling the bandages that covered his skin. Slowly, the pain was growing more and more intense and Fíli gritted his teeth to hold back the urge to start screaming. The tent flap opened and Óin walked in with a basin of water. When he saw Fíli awake, he was relieved until he saw the pain on his face. “What is it, laddie?” he asked.

Fíli didn’t get a chance to respond. Óin was on him in an instant, checking the bandages and wounds. “It seems you ripped open one of your wounds. Must have moved to quickly when you woke up. No worries, we’ll get you cleaned up.”

Óin began to unwind the thick layer of cloth that bound Fíli’s chest. Fíli took deep breaths to keep the pain at bay. Once the bandages had been removed and Óin began to wash away the new blood, Fíli looked back to his brother. “How is he?”

“Kíli? We almost had to knock him out after Bilbo and Bifur carried you in. Lad couldn’t sit still.”

Fíli smiled. “That’s Kíli. And Thorin?”

“Hasn’t moved since you arrived.” Óin worked quickly to bandage the heir. Once he was done he helped lay Fíli back down. “You should get some rest. It will help you heal.”

Fíli did as he was told but he could not go to sleep. Nightmares from the battlefield plagued his dreams and he did not wish to return to those plains. He was quite content with watching Kíli sleep. He was also afraid that if he were to go to sleep that he would wake to find his brother not breathing. No, he needed to watch as Kíli’s chest slowly rose and fell with each breath.

For the remainder of the night, Fíli did not sleep. He would close his eyes and feign sleep whenever someone came in to check on him. When Thorin began to stir Fíli feigned sleep once more. He could hear Thorin shift before rising from his seat.

“Ah, you’re awake,” came Balin’s voice.

“How are they?”

“Healing. Óin said Fíli had woken up a few hours ago and he seemed fine.” There was a moment of silence and all Fíli could hear was Thorin sigh. “I almost lost them, Balin.”

“But you didn’t.”

“I should have never let them come in the first place.”

“They would have followed you.”

Although Fíli’s eyes were closed he could see the smirk on his uncle’s face. “They are so much like Dis. Like Frerin…”

“Like you, you mean?” There was another pause. Fíli never did get to hear the rest of the conversation because someone else had entered the room.

“Thorin,” Dwalin, as it turned out to be, “You may want to come see this.”

“What is it, brother?” Balin asked.

“It’s better if you see for yerself.”

There was a pitter-patter of feet as the three dwarves rushed out of the tent. Fíli dared to open one of his eyes to see Kíli staring at him. “You know you are horrible at pretending to sleep,” Kíli greeted with a smile.

“It’s hard to sleep when I’m worrying about you,” Fíli replied with an equally shit-eating grin. After a few silent seconds they both began to laugh. “It’s good to see you awake, brother,” Kíli smiled.

Fíli didn’t have to reply because Kíli already knew. It was then that Kíli noticed something in his brother’s eyes. Something he hadn’t seen in some time. “Is everything alright, Fee?” he asked.

Fíli forced a smile to his face. “Everything is fine, Kee. I just need to rest.”

Fíli rolled over so his back was now facing his brother. He feigned sleep again, listening to what Kíli was now doing.

He knew what Kíli had seen in his eyes. Fear.

* * *

It took a minute to get to where Dwalin was leading them, seeing as how Thorin was still recovering from his wounds and wasn’t as quick or agile as he was before, but eventually they got to the hilltop. Thorin and Balin looked around, unable to spot anything out of the ordinary that would require their attention.

“What is it, Dwalin?” Balin finally asked.

All Dwalin did was point. They followed his finger and sure enough, they spotted what it was that Dwalin had made them come see. Lying on the ground was the pale body of Azog. His claw that he had fashioned after Thorin had stolen his arm from him lay far away from his body. His large, scarred head had rolled away, resting against a pile of stones.

“Looks like his defiling days are done,” Dwalin muttered.

Balin turned to Thorin and couldn’t help but notice the shock on the King’s face. “What is it?” Balin asked.

“Did you do this?”

Balin shook his head and turned to Dwalin. “Ye didn’t do this?” Dwalin asked.

Thorin shook his head. “Well if you didn’t do this, then who did?”

TBC…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmm, I wonder who did this. ;) Please read and review!


	4. Chapter 4

News spread of the death of Azog rather quickly. Those that had been a member of the company of Thorin were relieved to hear that he was dead and were very keen on throwing a celebration. Thorin had insisted that he inform his nephews himself however, news tended to travel fast when it came to dwarves.

So, by the time Thorin had entered the healing tent to tell Fíli and Kíli, he found Kíli full of excitement and eagerly trying to get out of bed, jovially talking to Fíli who sat up listening with a smirk on his face.

When the youngest eyes landed on Thorin, he smiled and proclaimed, “Ori just told us the good news!”

“More like Kíli forced it out of him.”

“I didn’t force it out of him.”

“If I recall correctly, you told him that he had better tell you what was going on or his record of the journey would suddenly go missing.”

“Well, when you put it like that….”

Thorin was very glad to see that his nephews had not changed so much. However, Thorin couldn’t help but notice that behind Fíli’s demeanor, his eyes looked as if he was haunted by something. He could tell that Fíli noticed how his gaze had lingered upon him for quite a bit for his blue eyes were soon diverted to the hem of the new tunic.

“I’m glad to see you’re awake,” Thorin stated sympathetically towards Fíli.

Fíli smirked but kept his gaze averted.

“Don’t take it personally, Uncle. Fíli hasn’t been sleeping well…”

“Kíli,” Fíli hissed.

“Keeps waking up yelling…”

“Kíli!” Thorin recognized the tone Fíli held. It was the same tone he had heard whenever Fíli tried to keep Kíli from revealing something. Most of the time it dealt with something the brothers, or in most cases Kíli, had done but this time there was a hint of rage. Fíli’s gaze was piercing his brother.

“What? It’s true!” Kíli countered.

“Should I have Óin make you a draught, Fíli?”

Fíli shook his head. “No, it will pass.”

Thorin sensed Fíli was holding something back and as much as he wanted to pry, he knew better. Fíli had always been a stubborn individual, stoic in nature. Very rarely did he wear his emotions on his sleeve. He had been like that since the passing of his father. Fíli was still very young at the time but old enough to understand what had happened. It was something no dwarrow child should have had to experience, but then again Mahal had not always been very kind to the line of Durin.

As much as it had been a burden, in a weird way, it was also a gift. It was why Fíli was so fierce in battle, his loyalty unyielding.

Thorin remembered finding a 32-year-old Fíli in the middle of the night practicing. Thorin had to pry the sword from the young dwarrow’s hand to get him to stop. When Thorin asked him why he was practicing so late, Fíli had replied, “I don’t want to lose more family. Not Ma, not Kee…not you, Uncle.”

So entranced by the memory he had not heard Kíli’s question until he saw both sets of eyes on him. “Sorry, what did you ask?”

“Did you kill Azog?” Kíli repeated.

Thorin shook his head. “I know not of who did, but I am grateful that foul beast is gone.”

* * *

After much pleading on Kíli’s part, Óin agreed to allow the princes to leave the tent to enjoy the celebration. Bofur had fashioned Kíli a cane since his leg was still healing.

The celebration was lively, full of music, food and ale. Many of the dwarrows bowed before Thorin and congratulated him on the victory.

Bilbo felt very lost amongst the crowd for he knew only thirteen of the dwarves in attendance. Gandalf had excused himself, saying he had urgent business to attend to. Bofur was happily playing his flute with the rest of the band as they filled the celebration with music. Bombur, Gloin and Nori were enjoying the never ending feast while Thorin, Dwalin and Balin were speaking with Dain on seemingly important matters. Dori was fussing over Ori, Óin was merrily drinking and Bifur was attempting to dance.

Before he could move, Bilbo felt two sets of arms on his shoulders, trapping him on both sides. “There is our burglar!” Kíli smiled.

Bilbo was glad to see Kíli and Fíli while at the same time a little on edge. He did not wish to be a part of another practical joke. Bilbo looked to Fíli and said with a grin, “I am glad to see you up and about.”

“According to Kíli I would not be here without you. Thank you, Master Baggins,” Fíli replied, slightly bowing his head to the Hobbit. As Bilbo bowed his head back, Kíli took a step away and pronounced, “I’m starving! I think I shall get some food before Bombur eats it all.”

With that, Kíli limped towards the food table. Once he was gone Bilbo asked the older brother, “Are you not going to join him?”

“I’m not all that hungry nor do I have the energy to keep up with him. I may be only slightly older than he but I take a little longer to fully heal.”

“Should you be out of bed then?”

“Probably not, but Kíli would never let me hear the end of it if I didn’t come.” Bilbo looked up to see a grin on the prince’s face. “So how long will you be staying with us, Master Baggins?”

“For the coronation, at least.”

“Perhaps you should stay. It is a long journey back and I can think of a few people who would be rather fond of the idea of you living in Erebor with us. After all, you did help us reclaim our homeland.”

“That would be lovely but I cannot. I have my home just as you now have yours. I would very much like to see it again.”

Fíli’s smile fell but only slightly. “I would be lying if I said I was not a little disappointed, but it is understandable and expected. You will at least come to visit every now and then?”

“I shall certainly do my best.” Fíli rested a hand on the Hobbit’s shoulder. “I am glad to hear it. I think I shall be off but before I leave I will say one thing.”

“Oh? And what is that?”

“I am glad Kíli bet on your coming.” Bilbo chuckled as he watched the golden haired dwarf disappear. However, it seemed he was heading away from the party rather than into it. Something didn’t seem right about that but before Bilbo could follow, he was grabbed by Bifur and Bofur and dragged into the thick of the party.

* * *

He knew if Óin were to see what he was doing, he would be chained to the bed until his wounds were fully healed but he did not care.

For the first time in a long while, his twin swords felt heavy in his hands. His bandaged ribs protested with the movements he made but he did not care.

At first, he started slow, focusing on every move as he imagined his attacker in front of him. Progressively he got faster and faster, almost to the speed of his normal fighting. Fíli could feel a warm liquid running down his skin but he ignored it. With his left he parried.

 _You are no match for me, dwarf!_ A cold voice taunted.

Fíli slashed with his right. _No one can stop me!_

Double block. _You reek of fear, Durin, just like your Uncle._

Block, slash, stab, dodge, dodge, parry, lunge. The voice continued to taunt him in his head. So focused he did not sense the other presence in the room until a hand dropped on his shoulder. Fíli spun and swung, his swords ringing as they connected with foreign steel. What he saw made his face pale and his blood run cold. Azog, the Defiler stood before him.

 _“Fíli,”_ the cold voice growled.

“No…it cannot be.” Very rapidly, his shock turned to rage as he thrust at the pale Orc. His movements were quick and fierce, but Azog blocked each one.

 _“Fíli,”_ he taunted again.

“Stay away!” Fíli thrust his right sword but Azog deflected, knocking his sword away. Fíli adjusted his grip on his left and swung again but Azog caught his arm and twisted, causing the sword to clatter to the ground. Before he could react, he found Azog trapping both of his arms to his sides.

“Let me go!” Fíli growled as he struggled to get away.

Out of nowhere, another Orc appeared and held a goblet to his lips. _“Drink,”_ the Orc hissed.

“No!”

 _“Fíli! Please!”_ he could hear Kíli pleading. Fíli looked around the plain for his brother but could not find him. “Kíli!”

Before he could call out again, the liquid was shoved down his throat. He coughed and spluttered as he drowned on the sickly sweet substance. He tried to spit it out but he found himself drifting into a dreamless sleep.

TBC…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So if my math is right, Fíli’s dwarf age at 32 is equivalent to around 7 or 8 in Human years. Also I am thinking of making a one-shot based off of Thorin’s memory but I’m not sure. What do you guys think? Stay tuned to see what happened! Please read and review!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to the wonderful Nathália for beta'ing and thank you to all the wonderful reviews I have received!

**Chapter 5**

Bilbo hadn’t been the only one to notice Fíli’s departure from the party.

While helping himself to a platter of cookies from the feast, Dwalin spotted the heir head off towards the medical tent. Dwalin would not have thought twice about it except for he was going off by himself. He scanned the crowd. Perhaps Kíli had already left and Fíli was going to catch up. However, he spotted the youngest brunette at the other end of the feast table, filling his plate with an assortment of food while holding a chicken leg in his teeth.

Something in his instincts told him something was wrong, and thus far they hadn’t steered him wrong  - so he followed after Fíli.

It didn’t take long to get to the tent that the wounded had been housed in for the time being, until they finished cleaning up the Halls of Erebor. He was going to follow him in, but he didn’t have to. Fíli emerged rather quickly with his twin swords in either hand. After weighing them in his hands he got into his fighter’s stance, slowly starting to go through the motions of a simulated battle with an invisible opponent.

Dwalin watched with a smile on his face. He had trained the youngsters when they were finally old enough to learn the sacred art of weaponry. He was able to witness to the progression of their movements as they got older. Fíli had always been a fierce, yet eloquent, fighter. Each of his moves was perfectly articulated, focused. It was no wonder he was a deadly fighter. It wasn’t really a shock. After all, he was from the line of Durin. A true Durin warrior.

Fíli’s motions got quicker and more fluid and Dwalin was quite content with watching the prince continue to practice. However, when Fíli lifted his left arm to block the invisible attack, Dwalin could see that the tunic he was wearing had suddenly grown a dark red spot. Perhaps it was time to get Fíli to stop.

Although he had no doubt that Fíli would not harm him, Dwalin had learnt firsthand it was not the brightest idea to interrupt someone in the middle of a swordplay routine without being properly armed. He withdrew Grasper (he had refused to keep his axes anywhere but on his persons, claiming that you never knew if there was still an Orc out there biding their time) and held it at the low ready in case he caught Fíli by surprise. Very cautiously he placed a hand on Fíli’s shoulder, saying to him quite clearly, “Fíli.”

He must have caught Fíli off guard because when he spun around, he swung his dual swords. That was the exact reason why he had Grasper out. Fíli’s look was that of rage. “Easy there, Fíli, it’s only me,” Dwalin stated with a chuckle in his voice.

Dwalin’s grin faded, however, when he saw Fíli’s face go ashen as he stared at Dwalin. “No…it cannot be,” Fíli muttered.

Dwalin raised an eyebrow. “You alright there, lad?”

Fíli’s face went from shock to pure rage as he pushed Dwalin off and began to attack. Dwalin rapidly pulled Keeper and continuously blocked each of his attacks with great success. “Fíli, stop!” he tried to say.

“Stay away!” Fíli called out again. Dwalin didn’t want to hurt him but he could see in those blue eyes that the warmth that was normally there had turned cold as ice. He was going to have to stop him, but he wasn’t sure how.

It wasn’t until Fíli made a certain move that he took his opportunity. With Grasper, he managed to knock the sword out of Fíli’s right hand. As it clattered to the ground Fíli adjusted the grip on his left and swung again. Dwalin caught his arm and gave it a slight twist. Normally he would have twisted the arm until it snapped but this wasn’t just some mindless Orc or Goblin. This was Fíli. So instead, he twisted it just enough to make him drop the sword.

Completely unarmed, he trapped his arms to his sides, holding the prince still. All the while he fought to get out of the warrior’s grasp.

“Let me go!” Fíli growled as he continuously struggled.

Dwalin could feel the warmth of Fíli’s blood soaking through his clothes. He could hear footsteps approaching from behind. Turning just his head, he spotted Bilbo, Óin and Kíli running up to him.

“You took your time!” Dwalin grunted.

“What’s going on?” Kíli asked, worry evident in his voice.

“I don’t know, he just…changed.”

Óin came around so he could get a good look and saw the blood seeping from Fíli’s clothes. “We need to change his wrappings.”

“Good idea, but ye think we can do something to calm him down first?” Dwalin growled through gritted teeth as Fíli’s elbow found its way into his side. Óin reached into his pouch and produced a vial of light blue liquid. “Kíli, fetch me a goblet from the tent.”

Kíli wasted no time to hurry inside and return with a golden goblet. Once he handed it to Óin, he undid the cork and poured the contents into the cup. With the vial now empty he held the goblet to Fíli’s lips, instructing in a sincere tone, “Here, drink this, Fíli. It will help.”

“No!”

“Fíli! Please!” Kíli called out, coming to stand beside Óin. It was like a trigger. Fíli looked around with confusion on his face.

“Kíli!” he called out.

Kíli looked confused. He was standing right in front of him. The moment he had called out to Kíli, Óin pushed the goblet to Fíli’s lips and tipped it enough to get the liquid to go down his throat. Fíli coughed and choked as it made its way into his stomach. It didn’t take long for the draught to take effect as slowly his eyelids grew heavy and he passed out in Dwalin’s arms. Once limp, Óin cast the empty vial aside and instructed Dwalin, “Get him into the tent.”

Dwalin adjusted his hold on him as he picked him up and carried him into the tent. After laying him down gently, Óin removed the bloody tunic from Fíli’s torso and pulled away the soiled bandages.

“Should we tell Thorin?” Bilbo inquired.

“Aye, someone should go tell him about Fíli now before he hears it from someone else,” Dwalin replied gruffly, taking it upon himself to promptly leave the tent and go find Thorin.

As he left, Dwalin couldn’t help but shake the memory of the look Fíli had given him. He did not just see rage in Fíli’s blue eyes. He saw the look that he himself had given many Orcs and goblins in his time.

Fíli’s eyes had told Dwalin that he was going to murder him.

* * *

At first the voices were muffled and fuzzy, completely incomprehensible to be able to discern what they were saying. As his eyelids fluttered the sounds grew more clear and he started to make out shapes of others.

“I think he’s coming to,” came the voice of Balin.

Once Fíli’s eyes had finally adjusted and his vision cleared, he found that he was lying down in the cot that had been assigned to him in the medical tent. Kíli sat on one side of him, leaning forward in his chair and resting his elbows on the bed as he watched his older brother with concern. On the other side stood Bilbo who had to stand, otherwise he would not have been able to see Fíli at all. By the entrance, Dwalin stood as stiff as a bodyguard, watching the tent with an unreadable look on his face, his arms crossed. Finally, at the foot of his bed, were Óin and Balin with Thorin standing between them.

“There you are. We were wondering if maybe Óin had given you too much of that sleep draught,” Balin stated with a smile on his face.

Slowly, he sat up. Kíli was instantly up out of his chair, helping to guide him up with little effort and to minimize any pain Fíli might have felt when he moved. “What happened?” Fíli asked, his voice raspy.

“You don’t remember?” Bilbo asked skeptically.

Fíli wracked his brain for his memories. “I remember I was talking to Bilbo and then I left to…” his voice wavered as he looked to his uncle. Thorin just nodded his head slightly.

“Go on,” his gruff voice said with an authoritative tone.

He swallowed and continued. “I left to do some sword drills to take my mind off things and then…” The images came flooding back to him. Azog had been there. He had been fighting Azog. But Azog was dead. How could he have been fighting a dead creature? Fíli was at a loss for words, trying to figure out the best way to explain the situation without seeming like he lost his mind completely. “…Then I don’t know.”

“You don’t remember attacking Dwalin?” Balin inquired. Fíli turned to Dwalin, shock in his eyes. So it was Dwalin he was fighting, not Azog. Was it Óin, then, who had gave him the drink? Probably so. Thorin turned to the dwarves and Bilbo and said, “Leave us.”

Kíli looked ready to argue but one look from his uncle told him to just follow his directions so he left the tent with the others in tow.

Once the flap closed behind them, Thorin took the chair Kíli had vacated and sat down, resting his hands on Fíli’s bed.

“Fíli,” he began, his voice softer than usual.

Fíli looked away, not wanting to stare into his uncle’s eyes. “What are you not telling us?”

“I’m just tired, is all. After some rest I should be fine.”

“Do you swear?”

“I swear, Thorin,” Fíli replied.

He chanced a glance at his uncle. He could see that Thorin was not buying it. At first he thought that his uncle was not going to believe his word but he was shocked, yet relieved, to see Thorin nod. “Very well. Get some rest.”

Thorin stood and went to leave. Just before he left, he turned back to his nephew and said, “Just remember, Fíli, that whatever is troubling you…you do not have to go through it alone.”

With that, he took his leave.

Again, Fíli found himself alone. He could feel exhaustion tugging at him so he lay back down to try and sleep, but every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was Azog glaring at him.

Once Thorin exited the tent he found the others had been waiting. “Well?” Dwalin asked.

“He is holding something back.”

Balin rested a hand on his shoulder. “He will come around, Thorin. He just needs time.”

The dwarves and Bilbo were unaware that, hidden from their view, a mangled figure crept in the shadows, watching with a vicious grin on their face.

“It is starting, Master,” it hissed to no one.

_“Of course, my pet. Slowly, the line will break and once it does, Thorin Oakenshield will be vulnerable. We will take back what is rightfully ours.”_

TBC…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DUNN! Seems things are heating up! Please R&R!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my wonderful beta, Nathália! And thank you to all the kudos and reviews!

It took some doing that morning, but eventually the halls of Erebor had been cleansed of the aftermath from the battle, and slowly the dwarves began to move back in.

Thorin watched from the balcony above the entrance as dwarves began to file through the front gates. Strange to think that so many years ago he was standing there, watching as Smaug destroyed Dale, coming to claim their gold.

Amongst the influx of dwarves he spotted his two nephews. Kíli had mastered the art of using his cane, which he used to his advantage to find some enjoyment during the day. However he was moving much slower so that he could walk side-by-side with his brother. Fíli’s movements were a little slower, not by choice. Óin had warned him that should he rip open his wounds once again that he would chain the prince to his bed until he was fully healed.

He didn’t have to look to know that Balin stood next to him. “I have dreamt of this day for a long time. Now that it is happening, I’m afraid to close my eyes in fear that I am in a dream.”

“I can assure you that you are awake and that this is very much real,” Balin reassured.

The corners of Thorin’s mouth twitched back as he smirked. “Has Fíli opened up on what happened last night?”

“Not yet.”

“Give him time, Thorin. Battle changes even the mightiest warriors.”

“That it does, my friend.”

After a few moments, the King left the balcony to intercept his nephews. He wanted to be the one to show them around their new home. The home that they should have grown up in.

He found them in the throne room, looking around the halls in awe. Kíli had his bow and quiver on his back, bag hanging on his good side, leaning heavily against his cane. Fíli’s gear was on the ground by his feet, seeing as how Óin’s instructions had also banned him from carrying his swords and bags on his persons until he was healed.

Thorin approached with a smile. “Fíli, Kíli, come with me. I want to show you some things.”

Fíli went to grab his bags but Thorin’s hand stopped him. “Leave them, I will have someone fetch them and place them in your new quarters. You too, Kíli. You will not need your bow in these halls.”

And so they did as they were told, leaving their bags and weapons before following their uncle further into Erebor.

The dark stone seemed brighter now that the threat did not loom over them anymore. The walls were lined with lanterns and treasure, glistening from the flicker of the light. Kíli took everything in with wonder in his eyes and although there seemed to be a brightness in his eyes as he was shown around Erebor, Thorin could still see the haunted look in Fíli’s eyes.

Thorin pushed open the door to a room and led the boys in. “This was your mother’s room when we were growing up. I want you to have it, Kíli.”

At first Kíli was ecstatic but when he locked eyes with his brother, he faltered. “What about Fíli?”

“Do not worry, Kíli, he will not be far away. Come, Fíli, I will show you where you will be staying now.”

The room was not far from where Kili was now residing, as Thorin had said. When they walked through the room, Thorin had stepped aside to allow Fíli in first.

The room was simple and organized, left untouched by the mayhem that had happened all those years ago. The four post bed sat on the back wall in the middle between two paned windows with royal blue curtains. There was a chest on the left and a weapons rack on the right. On the headboard of the bed was runes carved into the stone. Fíli recognized the etchings.

“This was your room,” he muttered under his breath.

“Yes, and now it is yours.”

“Mine?” Thorin smiled and nodded. “What about you?”

“I’ll be staying in the King’s quarters.” Thorin watched as Fíli walked further into the room, running his hands over the weapons rack and walls as if the memories of the past could be felt from the walls. Balins’ words rang in his mind; _Give him time, Thorin. Battle changes even the mightiest warriors._

“Are you ready to talk about what happened last night?”

“I was just tired, Uncle.”

Thorin knew he was lying. Having raised them while they were growing up meant that he knew every little mannerism. When Fíli lied, he made solid eye contact and his eyebrows would raise ever so slightly. As much as he wanted to get Fíli to speak to him, to tell him what was going on so that he could help him, he did not push the matter. “If you say so. Just remember that you are not alone.”

At firs,t Fíli looked to his boots, wondering if he should come clean to the hero of his childhood. As much as it feared him to tell him that he thought Dwalin was Azog, he knew that he had to come clean sooner or later.

He opened his mouth and turned his face to look to his uncle only to find that Thorin had disappeared as silent as a phantom. He heaved a sigh before falling onto his bed.

* * *

The day was nearing the time for supper. The sweet aroma of the kitchens were running through the halls and Fíli’s nose was detecting it. However, he wasn’t hungry. The thought of food turned his stomach. So when Kíli came in to fetch his brother, Fíli smiled gravely and said, “I think I will pass. I am feeling rather ill right now and the last thing I want to do is to retch in front of our Uncle’s court.”

Kíli did not want to leave him by himself, but the pleading in his brother’s blue eyes told him all he needed to know so, reluctantly, he left. A few moments later, Fíli felt sleep tugging at every fiber of his being and as much as he fought it, he couldn’t fight the exhaustion his body felt.

* * *

The shimmering surface of the water in the pedestal reflected a rippling image of the sleeping prince. A disheveled, ragged man stood grinning into the pedestal, his back hunched. The clothes he wore were nothing more than torn rags. He rubbed his hand together.

“Is it time yet, Master?” he hissed.

Coming to stand next to him was a woman, tall and beautiful with ravenous hair. Her dark eyes leered into the pedestal, a malicious grin on her blood red lips. Her long black dress fell to the floor and trailed behind her. “Almost, my pet. First we have to have loosen the thread before the whole cloak unravels.”

A long, slender finger touched the surface of the water, distorting the image even more and turning the water darker. As it changed, the sleeping prince began to toss and turn in the image, his face scrunching up as his dreams turned into a nightmare.

* * *

_The battle raged all around him. Blood flowed freely through the hills from the dead bodies. All the Orcs and goblins around him ignored his presence, fighting the dwarves, Men and Elves. Never before had his swords been so stained black. He whipped his head around, his braids flying and hitting his skin. “Kíli!” he called out._

_A shadow fell over him. Slowly he turned to see Azog staring down at him, his mace in his hand. A haunting smile danced upon his lips as he looked at the dwarf. “You’re too late,” he hissed at him._

_Before Fíli could ask he heard the familiar cry of his brother call out, “Fíli!”_

_He spun around, looking for his brother but could not spot him. When he turned to face Azog again that he spotted and him and when he did, his blood ran cold. Lying at the pale Orc’s feet was Kíli, still and pale. Blood oozed from the wound in his abdomen, rolling down the hill to Fíli’s feet. “Kee?”_

_Azog’s laugh thundered in his ears. With anger and rage in his blue eyes, he glared at the pale Orc. Azog would pay for what he had done. With his swords in his hands he lunged, a warrior’s cry erupting from his throat. Metal clashed on metal. Fíli fought with the ferocity of a lion, stemming from the anguish of the body of his dead brother. He swung his left and then his right but in doing so he left his side open. Azog’s claw came down and cut into his flesh. A howl of pain burst from Fíli’s lips. Before he could get back into the fight Azog dug his claw into Fíli’s shoulder and hoisted him in the air. “Die!”_

_Fíli’s good arm reached into his belt and withdrew his knife and plunged it into the Orc’s neck. “You first.”_

* * *

Dinner hadn’t been the same without Fíli.

Without his brother, he felt lost. He was stuck sitting up by Thorin and the majority of his court, which meant he was away from most of the dwarves that he knew. A few of them Kíli did know. Gloin and Balin had been there but the rest of the company was further down the table. If Fíli had been there he would have been able to talk to someone and crack jokes, but instead he was stuck listening to the seemingly dull plans to reestablish Erebor.

Kíli didn’t belong there. Fíli was the heir, not him.

Kíli had excused himself after he had finished his plate, proceeding to the kitchens to make a plate for Fíli. Surely his brother would get hungry at some point and would want some food; then he could make jokes about the dinner and how dull it was.

After getting a fresh plate, he headed towards Fíli’s room. The door was closed when he arrived so, out of politeness, he knocked. There was no answer. He could faintly hear the sounds of Fíli muttering something. Sleeping, no doubt. Kíli balanced the plate in one hand and opened the door.

When he poked his head in he saw that Fíli was, indeed, sleeping. He was tossing and turning in his bed, making soft noises.

“Fíli?” Kíli called softly, placing the plate of food down on one of the tables in the room.

When he got closer Kíli could see that his brother was sweating and his face was contorted. “Fee?”

Fíli began to toss around more and his noises turned to growls. “Fíli, wake up!”

When Kíli grabbed his brother’s shoulder, he was not expecting what happened next.

Fíli’s eyes shot open and pulled his hunting knife from his belt, aiming it directly at Kíli. Kíli narrowly missed the knife, the blade slicing his right arm with a shallow cut.

Very quickly he rolled away as Fíli sat up and took in his surroundings. He was panting heavily, the knife clutched firmly in his hand. When he spotted Kíli, he relaxed a little but confusion was glittering in his eyes. “Kíli?”

As Fíli focused on his brother, he saw Kíli clutching his arm, blood escaping between his fingers. Fíli looked at the cut, then to his knife and back at his brother.

The blood drained from his face. “Mahal, what have I done?”

Before Kíli could say anything, Fíli jumped from his bed and ran out of the room, the knife clattering on the stone ground as he dropped it.

TBC…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What is going on? Wait, I shouldn’t be asking you this because I know where this story is headed you don’t.  Please R&R!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Nathalia for being my awesome beta!

Kíli was having problems sitting still as Óin bandaged the wound on his arm.

He didn’t want to be sitting there. He wanted to be out, looking for Fíli. To ask his brother what was going on.

As Kíli went to stand again, Óin pulled on Kíli’s tunic. “Sit still.”

“It’s just a cut, Óin. Hardly something that needs serious tending to.”

Bilbo, having left the dinner early so he could wander around the rest of Erebor and explore it some more, was walking by when he saw the medic and his patient. At first he was just going to continue on and not get into the affairs of whatever was going on but, as usual, curiosity got the best of him and he found himself entering the chambers, pointing at Kíli’s arm. “What happened?”

“It’s nothing,” Kíli curtly replied.

“Nothing? This is not nothing, my boy,” Óin replied as he continued to wrap the cut.

Bilbo looked between the two dwarves curiously. After seeing the look that the medic was giving him, Kíli sighed and replied, “Fíli was having a bad dream and he  _accidentally_  attacked me.”

“This was no accident.  If you hadn’t moved, this wound could have been a lot worse.”

With a roll of his eyes, Kíli averted his gaze to the ground on his left.

The news of what had happened shocked Bilbo. Fíli and Kíli were close. The thought of one of them hurting the other was too alien. “Where is Fíli now?”

“That’s a good question and I would have an answer but this old…ow!” Kíli winced as Óin pressed on the cut.

“I may be mostly deaf but that doesn’t mean I can’t hear.”

With a sigh, he turned back to Bilbo and replied, “Óin won’t let me go find him.”

“I’ll go find him.”

Before Bilbo could turn and leave, Kíli called out, “Bilbo, wait!”

He stopped dead in his tracks and turned back to the dwarf prince. The soft brown eyes of Kíli had a pleading look. “Please, don’t tell Thorin.”

With a nod, Bilbo left.

The thought sounded like a good idea at the time, but as Bilbo wandered the halls, he realized how difficult the task he had set for himself was going to be. Erebor wasn’t exactly all that small and Fíli could be anywhere.

At first, Bilbo started at the places he knew. He wasn’t in the kitchen, nor the throne hall or any of the quarters. He really didn’t want to venture down into the mines and he was quite sure that the treasury was probably not the case either. As soon as Bilbo thought of the treasury, he remembered the tunnel that led to the secret entrance. The secret entrance that Fíli and Kíli had helped him discover when they first arrived on the slopes of Erebor.

With quickness in his step, Bilbo ran off towards the treasury however he stopped when he realized that he wasn’t one hundred percent sure which direction the treasury was.

* * *

Fíli sat on the edge of ridge where the hidden entrance was located, his feet dangling off the side as he stared off into the distance. His hands shook. The same hands that had turned on his own brother. The hurt and shocked look in Kíli’s eyes haunted his mind.  It wasn’t Kíli, however, that felt the most afraid in the moment. It was Fíli. Afraid that he was slowly losing himself.

He remembered when he was just a lad what Thorin had told him about battle.  _“Do not wish for battle, Fíli. You should only fight when you must for every warrior that comes back comes back changed.”_

Fíli had been well aware those precious moments before the battle that, should he survive, he would never be the same, but never in his wildest dreams did he think he would attack Dwalin or raise a blade to Kíli. What did Kíli think of him now? A monster? Perhaps, since that was what Fíli felt like at that moment.

“I figured I might warn you from back here that I’m here this time.”

Fíli nearly toppled off the side of the cliff, having been caught off guard. When he turned he spotted Dwalin, who stood leaning against the face of the mountain, watching him.

With a forced smirk, Fíli replied, “I don’t blame you.”

As he turned back around, he heard the war-hardened warrior heave a heavy sigh. “You know I’m not one for compassion.”

This smirk was not forced. “However, I know that look that you’ve been having.”

Dwalin sat next to Fíli on the edge of that cliff, keeping his hardened gaze upon him. “I’ve seen other fighters have that same look after big battles or losing their kin and I can tell you that if you don’t talk about it, it will eat you alive. I’m not saying to tell me, but tell someone.”

Fíli’s fingers danced around each other, his hands starting to cease from the shaking that had overcome them. “I can’t.”

“Why? Because you’re afraid they will treat you differently?”

“Because I’m afraid I’m losing my mind. I attacked Kíli, I thought you were Azog…”

Fíli froze when he realized the words that had spilled out of his mouth.  He hoped that Dwalin hadn’t heard that last bit but unfortunately, the look on Dwalin’s face spoke otherwise. “Azog?”

Fíli quickly turned his gaze to his hands that rested in his lap.

“Azog is dead, Fíli. You don’t have to worry about that beast anymore.”

“I know, it’s not him that I am worried about.”

Dwalin began to feel a tad bit uncomfortable. He wasn’t one to lend an ear. He was a fighter, not a counselor. That was Balin.

As he looked around for anyone, he said, “You don’t have to tell me. Perhaps Kíli…”

“No, he wouldn’t understand. You’ve fought so many battles; I’ve killed goblins and Orcs before and never has it haunted me before. Not like this.”

“It shows your mercy. If you didn’t have that, it wouldn’t make you any better than them.”

Mahal, he really needed to stop speaking with his brother. “I’m not so sure.”

“How is that?”

“You saw Azog. Did that look like mercy to you?”

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, it's short. Sorry about that. At least Fili is finally opening up a little. Please read and review!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Nathalia for betaing!

“Does that look like mercy to you?”

Dwalin was unsure whether he should have felt proud or shocked. Azog was no easy opponent so the fact Fíli had been the one to tear him down was extraordinary. However, like Fíli had said, the state of his body was not pleasant. “You killed Azog?”

Fíli nodded.

“How?”

The memories of the fight flashed in his head, as if he were reliving it all over again…

* * *

_Fíli and Kíli fought back to back, cutting down Orcs and goblins with deadly speed. That was the best way the brothers fought. Kíli, having run out of arrows, had his sword held firmly in both hands as he swung as accurately as his aim. Fíli’s swords were fierce flashes as they twirled through the air. Just as another goblin fell by the sword of Fíli, he heard Kíli shout, “Thorin!”_

_Fíli turned and saw what his brother had spotted. Thorin was fighting a hoard of Orcs, completely surrounded on either side. His motions were deadly but growing sluggish._

_They didn’t have to say anything for they knew what the other was thinking. Battle cries erupted from their throats as they raced towards their uncle. They would not let their kin fall, not while there was still breath in their bodies. The adversaries were no match for the heirs of Durin. Not together. Fíli and Kíli would protect Thorin with their bodies if they had to and Thorin would not let any harm befall his nephews. An arrow whizzed past Fíli. “Fíli, look out!”_

_Before Fíli could react, Kíli pushed him out of the way of another arrow. Instead of hitting Fíli, however, it made a home in Kíli’s shoulder._

_“Kíli!” Thorin growled._

_As Thorin looked for the source of the arrow, Fíli rushed to Kíli. “Are you arlight?”_

_“I’m fine, brother.”_

_Fíli and Kíli exchanged smiles before returning to the fight. It was a tad bit difficult for Kíli to fight with the arrow protruding from his person but it did not stop him. As Kíli was preoccupied with a new gaggle, Fíli spotted Thorin rushing up a hill. “Thorin!”_

_Kíli barely registered what his brother was doing before Fíli rushed after their uncle. Just as Fíli made it to the top of the hill, his heart fell. There was Thorin, struggling against the pale Orc._

_At first, he just stood there, watching the showdown. This was Thorin’s fight. But when Azog’s mace collided with the King, it sent him back with such a force that he went flying into the side of a cliff face. When Thorin hit the ground, he did not move._

_That was when Fíli rushed in. Azog smiled down at Thorin, prodding him with his mace._

_“Step away from him!” Fíli ordered, taking up his fighter stance._

_Azog slowly spun, a malicious grin on his face. He growled something in Orcish that he could not understand until he heard Thorin’s name. How dare this thing utter his uncle’s name? Fíli’s grip trightened. Azog would not touch him again. Fíli would not allow it. “If you want him, you’ll have to go through me.”_

_Azog continued to smile. “I intend to, Fíli, son of Dís, nephew of Thorin.”_

_Normally Fíli wasn’t one to charge unless to close the distance but this time, he did. His feet carried him swiftly towards his opponent, swords at the ready. When Fíli swung, Azog blocked. The duel raged on, Fíli proving he was a more than worthy opponent. He began to tire but he would not give up. Nevertheless, like any other warrior, when you grow tired, you get sloppy, and that was what happened. When Fíli swung, he left his side completely open for Azog to hit him. The spikes on the mace tore into his skin. It felt as if the fangs of a Warg were tearing into its prey. The force had pushed Fíli onto his knees. Before he could stand up, he was stuck once more on his back, sending him face first into the ground._

_His swords went flying from his hands. Fíli scrambled on his stomach to reach them but came up short as Azog placed his foot on Fíli’s wounded back._

_If only his reach was a little longer._

_He was flipped onto his back so that he could see Azog’s face. “Did you really think you could defeat me?”_

_The mace came down, sending all of the air out of his lungs. He could feel the warm blood oozing through the new wounds on his torso. Although his body protested, he reached for his sword again. His fingers just brushed the hilt. Before he could get control of his sword, he was hoisted into the air, Azog crushing his throat. “The Line of Durin will fall. Your heads will rot around me on spears.”_

_Fíli struggled to grab his hunting knife from his arm brace. He nearly dropped it when he pulled it out but thankfully he didn’t, then plunged it into Azog’s arm._

_Azog let out a hideous yowl as he dropped Fíli, holding the wound on his arm. When Fíli hit the ground, he picked up his sword, holding it at Azog. Azog just smiled, licking the blood from his arm. “You think that will stop me? I am Azog! It will take more than a knife wound to stop me.”_

_When Azog lunged at him, Fíli swung his sword, cutting the claw off Azog’s arm. As it fell to the ground, Fíli swung again, cutting Azog’s thigh so that he kneeled in front of him. Fíli approached, anger flaring in his eyes as he pressed the tip of his sword to Azog’s neck. “You will not come near my family again.”_

_Azog just glared at the dwarf, holding his bleeding arm. With an angry battle cry, Fíli thrust the sword through Azog’s chest, piercing the small heart. When he retracted it, Azog fell back, his eyes rolling into the back of his head._

_Slowly, Fíli walked around so that he was on the side of Azog’s head. The Pale Orc was dead but Fíli still felt the rage inside him. Blood trickled down his arm, dripping off his fingers and staining the pale skin of the Orc. Azog had cut off the head of his great-grandfather and almost did the same to his uncle. To his kin. He would pay for his crime._

_Without a second thought, Fíli brought his sword up once more and, with one swift strike, he sliced through Azog’s neck. Black blood spewed from the wound as the Orc’s head rolled away from his body._

_Azog was no more and Fíli never felt more relieved._

* * *

When Fíli finished telling the story to Dwalin, he looked away, not wanting to see the look Dwalin was giving him. He found his hands far more interesting. He didn’t want to see the disgust in Dwalin’s eyes.

“Fíli,” came Dwalin’s voice.

Instead of turning to look at him, he kept his gaze averted. “He was a monster. He would have killed you and Thorin. You were protecting your family.”

“Protecting them from what? I hurt Kíli! I didn’t kill the monster, Dwalin. I became it.”

Something collided with the back of Fíli’s head. It wasn’t hard but it sure did hurt. Running his hand over the spot that had been hit, he looked to Dwalin. “Ow! What was...?”

“To knock some sense into ya! You are no more of a monster than I am. War does strange things to people. You have to learn to let it go before it eats at ye.”

“How?”

Dwalin shrugged. “I can’t tell ya that. I’m already out of my territory on this one. Ye have to figure this one out for yerself.”

Fíli nodded. “Do you think that we could not tell Thorin about this?”

“About which part? The part about how Azog met his demise or that I am suddenly giving out advice?”

Fíli smirked, the first genuine smile in quite some time. “Both, I suppose.”

Dwalin nodded. “I think I can live with that. I wouldn’t want everyone to think I’ve gone soft, now. Before ye know it, Ori will be coming to me asking me questions.”

The smirk on Fíli’s lips pulled back farther into a full smile. From behind them Bilbo came stumbling out of the tunnel, tripping over one of the stones by the entrance. “Fíli! There you are! I heard what happened! Kíli’s worried and…”

Bilbo’s eyes landed on Dwalin and noticed how the air about them seemed lighter than as of late. “I’m missing something, aren’t I? Perhaps I should come back…”

“No need, Bilbo. I was just about to go find Kíli myself,” Fíli replied, standing up from his spot on the cliff. Before he walked to the hobbit, he leant in close to Dwalin and whispered, “Thank you.”

Dwalin did not respond. He just watched as Fíli disappeared with Bilbo. Once they were gone, he shook his head.

“Yer goin’ soft, Dwalin,” he muttered to himself as he, too, stood up and proceeded through the tunnel.

TBC…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, no cliffhanger this time around. So perhaps a little teaser as to what’s to come? Well, let’s just say that the mysterious woman continues to pull on that thread and the cloak continues to unravel. Especially come time for Thorin’s coronation.  Please R&R!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Nathalia for being such an awesome beta!

A few days had passed since Fíli had told Dwalin of the battle with Azog.

Since then there had been no incidents of Fíli attacking anyone in his sleep or imagining someone to be Azog - which in his eyes was a sign that maybe now that he had told someone that he wasn't going insane. However, he knew that there were two people he needed to tell.

Thorin and Kíli both had a right to know what was going on with their kin, but it seemed that every time he would try to tell them, the words would not spill out of his mouth. He had tried telling Kíli but when he saw that happy smile turn into a look of panic and worry, Fíli just couldn't bring himself to remove it with the knowledge he was about to share so instead he made something up. Kíli was just beginning to go back to his normal self and Fíli did not want to hinder that progression.

Thorin, on the other hand, was a lot trickier. Every time Fíli could get a chance to talk to him it was about ruling Erebor, the coronation that was in a few days or what his responsibilities would be as a crowned prince. Other than that, Thorin could not be found.

It seemed that the battle would remain a secret forever.

With the coronation approaching, everyone was busy with the preparations, planning and execution of the significant event. As Thorin went over some of the finer details with Balin, Fíli and Kíli found themselves at the mercy of some of the dwarrowdams who were in charge of fitting them and making their coronation clothes. Fíli sat amused in the chair as he watched Kíli stand in the center of the room, his arms held out like wings as the dwarrowdams took measurements and made marks on the fine tunic that Kíli was to wear. It was royal blue with red and gold patterns stitched in. What made the sight, though, was the completely annoyed and bored look on his youngest brother's face. He looked ready to bolt the first chance he got.

Fíli hadn't been able to leave unscathed. Currently he had a very large brown tunic thrown over him. The sleeves fell far past his hands and fitted him almost like a dress, the way it hit the floor. Along the sleeves were gold trimmings and the stitching was of gold and red designs.

As the dwarrowdams tightened the tunic around Kíli's chest and pinned it, Kíli made a sighing noise and asked, "Exactly how much longer do I have to stand here?"

The look one of the women gave Kíli was almost a death glare, making Kíli turn back to look at his brother with a pleading look. Fíli just smiled and wiggled his fingers at his brother.

Kíli rolled his injured shoulder a little and asked, "Do you think we can take a break so I can get feeling back in my arms?"

Reluctantly they backed off and left the room with a curtsey. Once they were gone, Kíli tried his best to remove the tunic from him but seeing as how it was pinned to his form, it was near impossible. Reluctantly he gave up, carefully walking over to the vacant seat by his brother so that he did not tread on the excess at his feet. When he sat down, he saw that Fíli was watching him with a smile, a muffled chuckle hidden behind his lips.

"What?" Kíli asked.

"You look so beautiful in your dress," Fíli replied, the last words turning into a laugh.

Kíli lunged at his brother, not caring that they would probably ruin the new clothes that they were to wear to the coronation. For that brief moment, things were like they used to be before the battle. The two wrestled on the ground, laughing as they rolled. Eventually Fíli managed to pin Kíli on the floor.

"Yield?" he asked between breaths.

"A Durin never yields."

Kíli swung his right arm to try and grab his brother's tunic but Fíli grabbed it before it could grab him. However, in doing so, Fíli accidentally grabbed the cut that he had created with his knife. As soon as he had touched it, Kíli hissed and reached across his persons to cover the wound.

Fíli instantly rolled off, all play leaving his face so that worry could take over. "I'm sorry, Kíli. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Fee."

Slowly Kíli sat up with Fíli's help, trying to rub out the pain that was in his arm.

As the pain slowly began to subside, Kíli looked to his brother and saw the guilt that was flowing from his gaze. "I'm fine, I swear."

"You wouldn't have to reassure me if I hadn't gave you that wound."

"You were having a nightmare and I startled you. I should have known better than to try and wake you from it. We were always afraid to wake you for breakfast."

Although Kíli was trying to play it off as harmless, Fíli knew it was less than that. He had tried to forget. Mahal, how he tried but the image of his brother watching him with fear while blood flowed between his fingers continued to haunt his mind. He had done that. "Kíli."

"Yes?"

"Do you remember during the battle when you were shot with the arrow and Thorin ran off and I followed after?"

"Vaguely."

Fíli swallowed. He could feel the words forming on the tip of his tongue, longing to just spill from his lips and to explain to his brother what had happened but his throat went dry. He had come this far already. He was not going to back down now.

After a moment's pause, he said, "I want to tell you what happened after I left you because it has been haunting me for some time now and because it is the reason why I've been acting…"

"Odd?"

Fíli smiled. "Yes, odd."

And so it all came flooding out of him. The entire story of his battle with Azog. He did not leave out any detail. When he finished he was surprised to see that Kíli was smirking. "What are you smiling about?"

"My brother, slayer of Azog. Kind of has a ring to it."

Leave it to Kíli to glorify his brother. "Why does it bother you so?" Kíli inquired.

Fíli shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe because I felt like I lost control of myself. The thought of doing that again scares me most. What if that happens again and it is worse? Much worse?"

Kíli placed a hand on his brother's shoulder and stated, "Then I shall be there right beside you to help."

"But what if I hurt you in the process?"

"It will take a lot more than your temper to drive me away, brother."

Fíli smiled. "Thank you, Kíli."

"Have you told Thorin?"

Very quickly Fíli turned away. "Not yet…"

"Then I will trust that you will when you are ready but perhaps you should do it sooner rather than later. He worries about you, Fíli."

"When did you become so wise?"

Kíli shrugged. "Probably had something to do with the idea that my brother was slowly going mad."

The brothers laughed as Fíli took Kíli by the shoulders and pulled him in close so that he could ruffle his brother's hair affectionately. As they giggled together the dwarrowdams came in and when they saw the dust and dirt that now covered their new tunics, they gasped and gave them death glares that would have scared Smaug out of Erebor.

TBC…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, not really action packed but trust me when I say the next chapter things start getting intense again. Fíli needed to feel like perhaps he was healing before I completely ruin the peace. :) Please R&R!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Nathalia for being a WONDERFUL beta!

 The coronation was finally here.

 

The dwarves were dressed in their finest clothes for the occasion. The halls were decorated with the finest jewels and tapestries from the treasury and Laketown. Several of the Men, including Bard, were in attendance and, much to the surprise (and annoyance) of many dwarves, so was King Thranduil and some of his Elves. Gandalf had also returned and with him, he brought Radagast.

 

As the guests mingled and began to take their places for the coronation, Fíli and Kíli watched the throne room from the balcony. Their hearts raced with excitement and nerves. They had been waiting for this day for so long and now that it was finally here, it felt too surreal.

 

A trumpet echoed off the stonewalls, indicating that the beginning of the ceremony was about to begin. The brothers looked to one another. "Together?" Kíli asked.

 

Fíli nodded. "Together."

 

Both descended the spiral staircase to the entrance to the throne room. At the doors stood Balin. They had rehearsed how this was to go. Balin was to enter first with Kíli right behind him, then Fíli taking up the rear. Before Balin had the guards open the doors, the brothers helped each other fix the minor problems in their outfits. Fíli adjusted the cloak so that it hung evenly on his brother's shoulders while Kíli adjusted golden necklace that hung around Fíli's neck.

 

"Are you ready?" Balin inquired.

 

With a nod from both of them, Balin turned to the guards and gave them the nod. As the doors swung open slowly, the fanfare of instruments began to play the royal tune of Durin, which hadn't been heard since the day Thorin had become the crown prince of Erebor. Balin took the lead, making the pathway through the mass of dwarves that stood waiting for the princes and King. Kíli waited until Balin got some space before following suit.

 

After a few moments, Fíli entered. The crowds' eyes were all on him. As much as he tried to keep his gaze straight forward, he couldn't help but look around at those who had gathered. He spotted Bifur, Bofur and Bombur instantly. It was hard not to find them. Although they had been given royal clothing, it was hard to miss Bombur's red hair or Bifur's axe-embedded head and impossible not to recognize Bofur's floppy hat.

 

Next to them were the 'Ri brothers. Ori was hired as the scribe for the events of the coronation and was happily writing down everything in his book. Dwalin was already up by the throne, holding a large golden chest. Óin and Gloin were near the front with the rest of the royal court and next to them stood Bilbo Baggins. Gandalf stood by Dwalin, holding a scroll. The dwarves gave a slight bow to Fíli as he walked past.

 

In the shadows, he thought he spotted a tall woman with long black hair but when he looked again, she had disappeared.

 

Kíli had already taken his spot to the throne's left so when Fíli arrived at the pedestal he stood to the right. The music halted so that the drums could roll.

 

As the drums' heavy tone resonated in the hall, the doors swung open once more; Thorin was standing on the other side. His clothes were none like Fíli or Kíli had ever seen before. His trademark royal blue glittered from the torchlights with silver and gold trim. His fur coat had been cleaned and altered so that it seemed more regal. It was the first time either Fíli or Kíli had actually seen him as more than their uncle. As he began his slow walk to the throne, everyone bowed as he passed. Even Thranduil gave a slight bow to him. When he arrived at the throne, he did not turn to look at the crowd. Instead, he knelt on the stairs at Gandalf's feet.

 

Gandalf peered down at Thorin with a smile before looking to the rest of the crowd. "We are here to celebrate the rebirth one of the greatest Dwarf cities Middle Earth has ever known. May the grace of the Valar and the strength of Mahal help it strive. On this day, we return a king to his throne, but more than that, we return a family to their home."

 

At that moment, he turned to Dwalin and opened the golden chest. Inside sat three crowns. Gandalf picked up the middle one. "This crown once sat upon the head of Thror and now it shall once again crown the King under the Mountain."

 

Slowly he sat it upon Thorin's head. Never had the crown seemed to fit a king better. It was as if it was made to sit upon Thorin's head. Once it was settled, Gandalf took a step back. "Rise Thorin, King under the Mountain."

 

Thorin took a breath before coming to his feet. He gave a look to Gandalf who nodded. When Thorin turned around, it was as if the world had stopped. All eyes were upon him now as he looked upon his people, not as their leader, but as their king. They all went to their knees, bowing before him. "Rise, my kin,” he spoke to them, holding his arms out.

 

The dwarves looked upon him and rose to their feet. "This day does not belong to me, but to our people. Long have we dreamt of this day when we would reclaim our homeland and strive as we once did. We will rebuild this kingdom, together, for it is not just mine, but ours. It is our home."

 

Applause roared from the people. Praises in Khuzdul boomed through the hall. As it died down, Thorin began again. "Today, we also honor two dwarves whose titles have been held from them for too long."

 

Thorin turned to Kíli, who breathed a heavy sigh before stepping from his place and coming to kneel before his uncle. Dwalin held the chest out for Thorin so that he could take the small silver crown from its place. Thorin cradled it in his hands, holding it just above Kíli's hair. Their eyes met and with a smile, Thorin brought the crown down and placed it upon his youngest nephew's head. "Rise, Kíli, Prince of Erebor and Captain of the Royal Guard."

 

It was the first time Kíli had heard his official title. The look he gave Thorin before standing was one of shock and pride. Although he tried to suppress it, he couldn't help but smile as he stood and looked at the crowd. He could hear Bofur hollering above everyone as they all applauded. As he stood off to the side, Thorin turned to Fíli. Fíli could feel his heart trying to escape from his chest as he came to stand in front of his uncle and kneel. Thorin gave Fíli a smile before grabbing the final crown from the chest. It, too, was made of silver but had gold strands weaving through it. Like Kíli, he hovered it over Fíli's head as he made eye contact with Fíli. They gave each other a smirk before Thorin rested it upon Fíli's head. "Rise, Fíli, Prince of Erebor, Heir to the Throne and Keeper of the Arkenstone."

 

When Fíli stood and turned the applause rivaled the roar of battle. For the first time, it seemed that nothing could ruin that moment.

* * *

After the coronation, there was a magnificent feast. Everyone came to congratulate the new king and his heirs. Thorin was already busy conducting kingly affairs, speaking with his court about plans to start trade and renovations.

 

Fíli and Kíli stood off to the side, trying to blend into the walls as the celebration flourished. They really did not want to draw attention to themselves but unfortunately, now that they were officially crowned, everyone's eyes were drawn to them. Everyone came up to congratulate them and wish them long lives and the like. As much as it flattered them, they secretly wanted to be left alone to enjoy themselves.

 

As another dwarf shook their heads and wished them a prosperous reign, Fíli took a drink of his ale as he scanned the crowd. Kíli had to pry his hand away from the dwarf before taking a drink.

 

"Remind me the next time we go to a celebration we wear our old clothes," Kíli stated with a smile before taking a drink.

 

When Fíli said nothing he turned to his brother. "Did you hear me, Fíli? Fíli?"

 

When his eyes landed on his brother, his smile instantly fell. Fíli was gazing off into the distance, a blank look on his face. It was as if he had seen a ghost. "Are you alright, brother?"

 

"Did you see that?"

 

"See what?"

 

Fíli didn't elaborate. Instead, he ran off towards one of the many hallways. Kíli went to rush after him but was instantly bombarded by people. It took some coaxing and gentle pushing for him to make his way through the crowd before finally turning down the hallway. "Fíli!"

 

Immediately he recognized the golden hair of his brother taking a left at the end.

 

Something wasn't right.

 

Kíli raced to try to keep up with his brother but he found it difficult to catch him. Fíli had always been the faster of the two.

 

When Kíli did finally manage to catch up, he saw that Fíli was standing dangerously close to the edge of one of the mineshafts.

 

 "Fíli?"

 

Before Kíli knew what was happening, Fíli lifted his left foot to take a step.

 

 "FÍLI!"

 

TBC…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, please don't kill me! How about reviews? Yes, I like reviews! Hope you enjoyed reading it!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *pokes head up* Is it safe to come out yet? Okay, good. :) Nathalia, the beta, I thank you ever so much. Now, ONTO THE SHOW!

"Fíli!"

Kíli lunged as Fíli disappeared over the edge. When Kíli reached the edge and looked down, he saw Fíli had grabbed on to a ledge along the rock face and was dangling over the bottomless dark pit. The look on Fíli's face was of surprise and shock. Kíli reached towards his brother. "Fíli, grab my hand!"

Fíli looked up to his brother and reached with his free hand. Their fingertips brushed but their arms weren't long enough. "I can't reach!"

"Come on, Fee!"

Fíli could feel his fingers slipping off the rock from his hands sweating. With determination he swung to gain momentum. Each motion of his rocking form made his fingers slide just a little bit more. He had only one shot at this. As soon as he thought he had enough, he jumped, his hand falling from the rock. Kíli grabbed onto Fíli's wrist, catching him from falling. Once their grasp was solid they brought their other hands and wrapped them around the other's wrist as Kíli pulled Fíli up to safety.

As soon as Fíli was on solid ground, they fell on it, lying on the land while heaving heavily. After a moment of silence, Kíli turned to his brother and asked between breaths, "What in Durin's name were you doing?"

Fíli shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I didn't see the ledge."

"You didn't see the ledge? Aüle, Fíli, how could you miss it?"

Fíli shook the images out of his head. To be honest, he didn't even know that he was anywhere near the mines. While at the celebration he thought he had seen an Orc running down the hall. When he had reached the hall, the landscape changed. No longer was he standing in Erebor. Instead he found himself back out on the fields of the Desolation of Smaug. No one could be seen but a faint voice could be heard. Not just any voice, Kíli's voice. "Fíli!" He would call out.

Fíli had followed the voice until he found himself between a set of boulders when he spotted Kíli who was looking around, oblivious to Azog sneaking up behind him with his mace raised. Fíli tried to yell to his brother, warn him, but no sound would come out so he went to run to his brother when the world fell out from under him. It was then that he found himself dangling from the rock face over the deep mine shaft where all of the jewels and precious gems of Erebor could be found hidden in the rock.

"Fíli!"

Fíli was pulled from the thoughts of the hallucination by Kíli yelling his name and shaking his shoulder. When he turned to look at his brother, he saw that Kíli's brown eyes were watching him with a worried look. "Did you hear me?"

"Sorry, what were you saying?"

"I asked if you were going to tell me what was going on or not?"

As much as Fíli did not want to tell him, he was tired of keeping secrets. After all, Kíli already knew about his battle with Azog and why he had attacked Dwalin and him so why would he start lying to him again? Therefore, Fíli explained what he saw.

When he finished, Kíli said, "I thought you were doing better."

"I thought so, too. I'm sure it's nothing."

"I don't know, Fíli. Perhaps we should ask Gandalf…"

"Ask me what?"

The brothers spun around to see the old wizard standing behind them with Radagast at his side.

"Gandalf? What are you doing here?" Kíli asked as he and Fíli got to their feet.

"We were just taking a stroll," Radagast replied.

"How long have you been standing there, exactly?" Fíli asked, trying to dust off the grime from his royal clothing.

Gandalf just smirked as he leant against his staff. "Long along, I'm afraid. Perhaps we should go sit down and have a little talk."

Fíli and Kíli turned to each other and gave their brother that look that they had given each other many times in their youth and a few times on their quest. It was the look that said they were in for it now.

* * *

Fíli was quite alright telling Gandalf what was going on; however, when he had followed Gandalf and Radagast into the council room, he was not quite as eager to speak when he saw Thorin, as well as a few other members of the company, waiting for them. Apparently he had noticed his two nephews run from the feast and had grown concerned. He was going to send Dwalin to go find what they were doing but Gandalf had volunteered, making the excuse that he wanted to show Radagast around Erebor.

Thankfully - or unfortunately - Kíli could see the hesitation in his brother's face and decided he would take it upon himself to start the conversation. "Fíli was the one that killed Azog."

"Kíli!" Fíli hissed at his brother.

But it was too late. The damage was done. The moment the words had left Kíli's lips and hit the listening ears of Thorin, Thorin's hard gaze turned to that of amazement and landed directly on Fíli. "You killed Azog?"

Fíli sighed before slowly nodding. "How?"

Fíli found himself recounting the events as of his battle with Azog after Thorin had been rendered unable to fight. After that tale, Fíli couldn't find it in himself to explain anymore so Kíli chimed in, explaining how Fíli had thought Dwalin was Azog and how Fíli had been having nightmares about fighting Azog when he cut him and then ended the turn of events with the newest incident with the mine shaft.

While Kíli explained all of this, Fíli could feel Thorin's gaze watching him. He began to feel a little uncomfortable under his uncle's scrutiny however, he realized that the feeling of discomfort was not from Thorin watching him but Radagast, who was circling Fíli and leaning in closely, muttering incomprehensible nonsense and sometimes even sniffing him.

"Why didn't you tell me before now?" Thorin asked.

"I wanted to, Uncle, but I was...I'm sorry, what exactly are you doing?" Fíli asked Radagast as the crazy old wizard began to examine one of Fíli's braids on his head.

But Radagast did not answer him. Instead he sniffed it and turned his head away as if he had smelt something foul. "Not good."

"Not good? What's not good?" Kíli asked.

Again, Radagast didn't answer. Instead he took a bit of Fíli's free hair and pulled, tearing a strand of Fíli's hair from his scalp. Fíli winced in pain and instantly rubbed the new sore spot on his head as Radagast walked away, his eyes crossed as he stared at the strand of hair while walking towards Gandalf. When he was close enough he held the strand out for Gandalf. "Smell this."

Everyone but the two wizards seemed slightly disturbed by the request that was just made. Gandalf took a whiff of the strand of Fíli's hair and instantly recoiled, giving Radagast the same shocked stare that the brown wizard had made. "Are you sure?"

Radagast nodded. "I'm sorry, can someone please explain what is going on?" asked Bilbo.

"My dear, Bilbo, it seems that Fíli here has had a touch of dark magic. Not just any dark magic, the dark magic of a powerful witch. Ravina."

"Who?" Kíli asked.

Thorin looked to Gandalf with a questionable look. "Are you sure?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Is anyone going to explain what exactly is going on and who this Ravina is?" Kíli asked rather irritably.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, so Thorin now knows. I'm sure you are all glad to hear that but poor Kili is so lost. I love Radagast. :) Please read and review!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I'm going to apologize now...this is a VERY short chapter...who knows, maybe I'll be nice again and post the chapter after this one too. :) Seeing as how you readers are AWESOME!
> 
> Nathalia is a wonderful beta. 'Nough said!

"Ravina was a powerful witch that resided in the Lonely Mountain well before Erebor had ever come to be. She and mountain were one. When the dwarves took up residence here, she hid in the depths of the mountain, hoping to keep the wealth of the mountain hers. But as the dwarves continued to delve further and deeper into the mountain, she could no longer hide. She fled, swearing to remove the dwarves from Erebor and reclaim her treasure. She tried to infiltrate the kingdom and each attempt ended in failure. When the dragon Smaug arrived to take the wealth of Erebor, she blamed the line of Durin for drawing him there. Now, it seems that she is back," Gandalf explained.

"And you got all of this from smelling Fíli's hair?" Kíli asked in disbelief.

"Dark magic leaves behind a distinct odor, so does every witch and wizard."

"So Fíli is under some sort of spell?" Balin asked.

Gandalf simply nodded. "But how is that possible? I've never met this witch! I didn't even know she existed until just now," Fíli asked.

"You do not have to come into contact with magic to be influenced by it."

"So, what do we do?" Kíli asked.

Gandalf and Radagast exchanged glances. "Leave it to us. Where there is a spell, there is always a way to counter it. We fill find out how to and soon this will all be over."

"And how do you suggest we find this counter-spell?" Thorin asked, an edge in his voice. He did not like when his kin was threatened, especially his nephews.

"It will take some time, but it can be done."

"And what of this Ravina?" asked Bilbo, who had been standing in the back, having wanted to stay out of sight and out of mind but, as usual, failing to keep his curiosity at bay.

"She will be dealt with."

"Wouldn't it be easier to find her and make her remove the spell?" Thorin questioned.

"Unfortunately, no. We will deal with one problem at a time. Once we take care of Fíli, we will begin tracking down Ravina."

Thorin went to argue, but Gandalf held up a hand to stop him. "You have enough to contend with already, Thorin Oakenshield. Erebor needs you now more than ever. I understand you want to protect your kin but now that you are King, you have more to protect. This is exactly what she wants; to make you and Erebor vulnerable and reclaim the mountain. Do you want to lose your home once more?"

Thorin closed his mouth, turning his gaze to his nephews. "I thought not. Trust me, we will fix this. For the time being, we will need to keep an eye on Fíli to make sure the spell doesn't get any stronger. He will need constant supervision."

"I don't think…" Fíli began but Thorin held a hand up to stop him. "I must agree with Gandalf on this."

Normally Fíli would have argued that he was not a child anymore but after the recent events of what had been happening and how even he was beginning to scare himself, he knew it was the right choice. Therefore, he remained silent and gave his uncle a nod.

"Then it's settled. We will work on this straight away. Do not worry, Fíli, we will figure this out before it gets out of hand."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ravina watched in the water of her pedestal as the golden haired prince stood unharmed and unmoving. The voice of Gandalf bounced off the cave walls. Anger flared within her as she listened to the wizard explain.

When the water went clear once more she let out a vicious yell, knocking over the nearest table. In the shadows her puppet hid, slinking further and further into the wall to escape the rage of his master.

"Those fools! How dare they speak of me like I am nothing? How dare they underestimate my powers!"

As her anger grew, the walls of the cave rattled, rocks shifting and falling from the ceiling. Her pet cowered from her power.

As she began to relax, she brushed the strands of her black hair out of her face and turned back to the water, waving a hand over the surface to bring back the image of the prince. "Perhaps, my pet, we can use this to our advantage."

"How so, m'lady?"

She sneered, watching as the princes walked together. "He will never be alone. Perhaps the closer he gets, the further we can drive him away."

"I don't understand, Master."

"Just watch, my pet. Watch as the line of Durin crumbles."

TBC...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, very short chapter. Please read and review!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, people always say that 13 is an unlucky number...and after reviewing it I realize that yeah, I can see why. That's enough of a warning, I believe. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews and to my beta (Nathalia) for being AWESOME!

One long, hard week had passed since the coronation.

Gandalf and Radagast were busy in the records of Erebor, studying over scrolls to see if they could find some answer in ancient texts written when Ravina was around before. During that time, Fíli's condition did not seem to be getting better.

According to those that were in charge of keeping an eye on the prince, he was reportedly walking in his sleep or was seen gazing off into the distance, lost in thought. When asked about these events, he claimed to have no recollection of having done so. Sometimes he would even be in the middle of speaking to someone and then would stop and walk off somewhere and wouldn't know how he got there.

Thorin and Kíli were worried and often badgered the wizards for answers, leaving in anger when they would get none.

All the while, Erebor was striving. Trade was already boosting and the renovations were nearly complete. It wouldn't be long before the remnants of Smaug would be gone. On the outside, it seemed that there was nothing wrong with Erebor.

If only the same could be said for the royal line.

Meanwhile, in the training room, Fíli went through his sword training routine vigorously. Practicing with his twin swords seemed to be the only way he could feel any sort of normalcy in his life. Nothing else mattered when he was wielding his sword. As he practiced, he heard Kíli say from the doorway, "If you train any more you'll have no more reason to train!"

Fíli stopped mid-swing and turned to look at his brother with a smile. "There is always a need to train."

As Fíli placed his swords onto the weapon's rack, his brother approached, holding out a piece of cloth for his brother to wipe the sweat away. "How are you feeling today?"

"You mean do I feel better than I have been? No, still feel the same."

"Maybe Gandalf and Radagast have fixed it already."

"I doubt it, Kíli. If they did, I'm sure Ori would be running in here with excitement to share the news. And you wouldn't be asking how I felt today."

Kíli shrugged. "Never hurts to look on the bright side."

Fíli smiled as he wiped the sweat from his brow. As the cloth soaked it up, Kíli leant against the rack and crossed his arms. "So I was thinking that we could go check out Dale today. I heard Bard is coming along quite nicely with the construction of it. Might help to get out of the palace. What do you think, Fee? Fíli?"

When Kíli looked to his brother, however, he saw that Fíli's face was emotionless as he stared off into nothing. "Fíli?"

Kíli knew that look. His brother got that look whenever the spell was in effect. Kíli tried to grab his brother's arm to shake him out of it. "Fíli, come on. Snap out of it."

Kíli was not expecting his brother to turn and punch him in the face.

Kíli fell to the ground, the world going fuzzy about him. Right before he lost consciousness he watched as his brother casually left the training room, and then everything went dark.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kíli woke up a few hours later. Apparently, Bofur had been searching for the lads to get some help on a project he was working on when he found Kíli unconscious on the training room floor.

Kíli woke up to Bofur hovering over him, asking him, "You alright there? What happened? Where's Fíli?"

Slowly, Kíli sat up. "I'm fine… what do you mean where's Fíli?"

"He's supposed to be with you, is he not?"

"Yes but it's hard to follow him after he knocks you out."

"He did this?"

"No, the spell did. We need to find him."

Bofur helped Kíli get to his feet and followed him as he raced through the halls. They checked everywhere for the prince but couldn't find him. They asked everyone they came across if they had seen Fíli, and they had not.

Word quickly spread of the news of the missing prince. Thorin had called his council and those that he trusted to convene in the throne room the moment he heard the news. Bilbo felt very out of place but Thorin had insisted that he be there.

"How does he manage to just vanish?" Thorin asked in an enraged tone.

Kíli looked down to his feet, partially blaming himself for the disappearance. After all, he was supposed to be the one keeping an eye on his brother.

Fruitless hours of search, and there still had been no sign of Fíli; Kíli was worried, as was every member of the company. Kíli knew that his uncle was worried but he did not show it.

"We've searched everywhere, m'lord, but he is nowhere to be found," one of the councilors stated.

"He must be somewhere. Have you checked in the outlying areas? Perhaps he went to Dale or to Laketown…"

"He will turn up, Thorin. He always does," Balin stated, trying to comfort the worried king.

Although he didn't say anything to the contrary, Kíli knew that look Thorin gave Balin. It was the look he had given Kíli and Fíli many times when they were younger. Whenever they got into some sort of trouble and made up some excuse, Thorin would give them that look. The look that said that he didn't believe what they were saying but would go along with it.

Kíli knew why Thorin was giving Balin that look. If Fíli were to turn up, he would have already. When he normally went into one of these trances, they didn't last for more than moment. It had been hours. The sun was just beginning to set on the horizon.

After a moment of silence, Thorin proclaimed, "We will keep searching until he is found. We'll have rotating search parties through the nights. I will take the first shift…"

"I do not think that is wise, Thorin. You need your rest. You have enough on your plate as it is. I will lead the search," Dwalin stated, placing a hand on Thorin's shoulder.

As much as Thorin wanted to protest, he knew Dwalin was right. With a nod, he replied, "So be it."

As Dwalin began to set up the parties, Kíli ran up to Dwalin and said, "I want to search through the night."

"No, Kíli, you need to rest as well. You are Captain of the Guard and, therefore, you need to focus on keeping the King and Erebor safe."

"But Fíli is my brother and…"

"And we have plenty of dwarves already willing to search. Now go before I knock you out for a second time today and lock you in your room."

Kíli gave Dwalin an angry pout before turning and following his uncle. As he left, Dwalin shook his head and said, "He's as stubborn as his mother."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The chamber was dark and peaceful as the king slept soundly in his bed. His dreams were riddled with memories of his nephews. Happy, fond memories.

A shadow passed over him as a dark figure stood over his bed, having snuck in as silently as a phantom. The moonlight reflected off the mane of golden hair and the silver hunting knife as he hovered it over Thorin's sleeping form.

TBC...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Pulls out shield* Please don't kill me! Sorry for the cliffhangers! I know, I need to cut back on them! I'M SORRY! Anyway, please read and review!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the crap I have put you through with my cliffhangers. I decided to go read this story from your perspective and realized how much I hated myself for the cliffhangers so I really do apologize! Anyway, thank you to my beta, Nathalia, and here you go, a new chapter!
> 
> Chapter 14

Whether it was the glow of the moon on the dagger or the presence in the room that woke Thorin, not even he knew. But wake he did, just as Fíli brought the dagger down towards his heart.

Thorin caught his wrist mere inches above his chest, his eyes wide with shock as he looked at his nephew. "Fíli?"

But the vessel in front of him was not Fíli. The light in his eyes were gone, leaving hollow black holes inside a sea of blue. The kindness in his face was replaced with ferocity that he had only seen on the battlefield. No, this was not Fíli.

"Fíli, you must snap out of it," Thorin tried to reason as he struggled to keep the tip from piercing his flesh.

Fíli did not hear him. Harder, he pushed. Thorin was almost sure that he was going to lose this battle of strength. As the blade came to be mere meters from his skin, Thorin called out, "GUARDS!"

Almost instantly, the doors were pulled open, a few soldiers of the Royal Guard came running in, their swords at the ready. When they saw the scene playing out before them, they were, at first, unsure of what to do. They had to protect the King, but they could not strike down the prince. When the tip made a slice in Thorin's chest, they reacted, jumping to the prince and prying him to the ground. All the while he growled and struggled as they pressed his stomach to the floor and pinned his hands behind his back.

Thorin stood and looked down at his nephew. No, not his nephew. His nephew would not dare try to harm him.

"What do you want us to do, m'lord?" one of the guards asked.

"Lock him in his room and call for Gandalf."

The guards nodded as they pulled Fíli to his feet and dragged him from the King's quarters.

Once they were gone, Thorin looked to his chest. The spot that the blade had pierced was shallow but stung as a thin trail of blood trickled down his skin. It was almost impossible to believe that it was his kin to have made that mark.

"Aüle, please, save Fíli," he muttered under his breath.

* * *

When Fíli came around, he found himself lying on his bed with his arms and legs being held down firmly by Bofur, Dwalin, Bifur and Dori. Gandalf was hovering over him, his hand inches above his face.

Fíli looked around, and asked, "What's going on?"

As soon as he spoke the dwarves stepped back and Gandalf smiled down at the prince. "Welcome back, Fíli."

Slowly, he sat up. It seemed the entire company was in his room, each one with a look of relief yet awkwardness as they looked upon him.

Fíli looked around once more, as if trying to read the situation from their looks. It wasn't until he spotted the purpling bruise on Kíli's face did start to gather what happened. "What did I do?"

No one wanted to answer him. Instead they all turned their gazes away. Kíli tried to cover up the bruise on his face but the damage had already been done.

"What did I do?!" Fíli asked a second time, this time desperation in his voice.

"Fíli," Thorin began.

Fíli turned to his uncle, ready to hear what had happened, but Thorin didn't say anything. Instead he saw a bandage on Thorin's chest beneath his tunic and a dagger cradled in his hands. Not just any dagger; Fíli's hunting dagger. "How did…?"

The images came flooding back. Everything that had happened. It was the first time he remembered what happened during one of his blackouts and what he saw, he did not like.

The world shifted around him. He watched from the side as he knocked Kíli out in the training room. How he mindlessly wandered around the palace. How, in the middle of the night he stood over his uncle, his knife glistening in the moonlight before he tried to murder him in his sleep. The images were horrifying.

As he watched himself plunge that knife towards his uncle, he let out a terrifying yell, "NO!"

"Fíli!" Kíli began, rushing to his brother's side to calm him. His brother trembled, face buried in his hands while he muttered something under his breath.

When Kíli laid his hand on his brother's arm, Fíli flinched away. "Don't touch me!"

The hurt in Kíli's look was something that no one had ever seen before. As Kíli went to touch his brother's arm once more, Fíli jumped from the bed and raced through the door, his face hidden from everyone as he disappeared.

"Fíli! Wait!" Kíli called out, chasing after his brother.

Fíli had always been particularly good at hiding. With a brother like Kíli and the trouble they got into when they were young dwarrows, he had to be, to avoid the wrath of Thorin, or worse yet - their mother.

Today's new hiding spot was one of the balconies overlooking the throne room. Not very concealed but should someone come onto the balcony, Fíli could always duck into the doorway.

The memories of what he had done kept coming back, haunting his waking moments. He wrung his hands together on the railing, staring off into nothing.

It wasn't until he heard voices down below that his attention was distracted to something else. Fíli kept a low profile as he watched Thorin, Balin and Gandalf enter the throne room.

"His condition is getting worse, Gandalf," Thorin growled.

"Radagast and I are doing our best. We just need a little more time."

"More time? Fíli doesn't have more time! We need to do something now!"

"And what do you suggest we do, Thorin? If you have a solution then by all means, share it."

When Thorin said nothing, Gandalf replied, "You must have faith, Thorin Oakenshield."

"What if he gets worse? What if next time, we are not so lucky?" Balin asked.

Gandalf sighed, leaning against his staff just a little bit more.

"Is there anything you can do that might help for the time being?" Thorin asked, almost pleadingly.

With a shake of his head, Gandalf replied, "I'm afraid not. Since we do not know what the spell that is inflicting Fíli is, we could possibly do more harm than good. I am afraid we are going to have to act more cautiously. Keep a closer eye on him."

Fíli knew that what Gandalf was suggesting was not going to be good enough. Balin was right. Next time they might not be so lucky. No, they were going to have to do better and as much as Fíli hated the idea that seemed the most logical, he couldn't think of a better way than locking himself up.

Slowly he crept into the shadows, vanishing from the balcony just as Gandalf looked up.

* * *

The sun was just beginning to rise from the horizon as a cloaked figure ran from the gates of Erebor. He began to follow the path leading towards Dale.

Just before he turned the bend, Fíli gave one last glance over his shoulder at the mighty kingdom. It pained him to have to leave but he could see no other choice. With an ache in his heart, he turned away and continued to follow the road away from Erebor.

TBC...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND I DID IT AGAIN! I AM SO SORRY! Or am I? No, I really am! Please read and review!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beta Nathalia!

Thorin was pacing back and forth in Fíli's room, waiting for news on his whereabouts. Kíli kept looking towards the door, waiting for it to open and, hopefully, for Fíli to come walking through the door.

When the door opened, the looked up hopefully.

Instead, who entered was Nori, and the look he gave them was not a cheerful one.

"I'm sorry, but Fíli is gone."

* * *

"Gone?" 

Thorin nodded, his arms crossed protectively on him.

Each of the dwarves and Bilbo took the news differently. Nori, having been the one to tell the king, stood stiff and rigid while the weight of the knowledge weighed down on his shoulders. Ori was completely confused and looked to Dori for an explanation but the oldest brother could not give him one for he, too, was trying to comprehend the news. Bifur was unreadable, which was the case for most times, however he kept gazing to the door as if thinking that Fíli would emerge. Bombur was snacking upon some small blocks of cheese he kept hidden in his pocket, but even the taste of the delicious treat seemed sour in his mouth. Bofur was shocked and saddened. He loved the boys, having known them when they were growing up. It was hard to think that one of them would have ran off without telling anyone.

Balin and Dwalin stood with Thorin to help give him that support he desperately needed, for Kíli was still in Fíli's room, trying to figure it all out. Óin and Gloin stroked their beards as they tried to come up with some sort of plan in finding the prince.

Lastly, poor Bilbo was as lost as ever. "He can't have just gone. Surely he is just hiding somewhere."

"We've checked every square inch of this palace and there has been no sign of him. Reports from Dale confirm it. My contacts in the city say they spotted a dwarf with golden hair heading west towards Mirkwood," Nori explained.

"Mirkwood? Why on Earth would he go there?" mused Glóin.

"Because he knows that no one would think to follow him there. He doesn't want to be found."

"That still doesn't explain why he would just leave! There has to be some reason…"

"He left to protect us," Thorin verbalized.

All eyes were on him. "Fíli knows that he is powerless to what is happening to him and that it will continue to get worse. He has caused harm to his kin already and to ensure it won't happen again; he has exiled himself until the problem is resolved."

"Shouldn't we go after him?" Ori asked.

"If Fíli doesn't want to be found, he will ensure it," Dwalin grunted.

Bifur began to grunt in Khuzdul.

"I'm with Bifur on this one. We should go after him," Nori agreed.

As the dwarves bickered about what they should so, Bofur caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. When he turned, he saw Kíli standing in the doorway, the hood of his cloak pulled over his head and his bow and quiver strapped to his back.

Before Bofur could say anything, Kíli ran off down the hall. Bofur turned to the group to tell them about Kíli but when he saw how into the conversation everyone was, he sighed and chased after the young prince.

By the time he managed to catch up to Kíli, he was nearly out of breath. "Where do ya think you're goin'?" he called out, causing Kíli to stop and turn towards the toy-maker. 

"I'm going to find Fíli."

"And how do you suggest doing that?"

"Nori said he was spotted going towards Mirkwood, so I'll start there."

"Mirkwood is a big place."

"Then I best get started instead of standing here wasting time talking to you!"

Kíli went to walk off but Bofur grabbed his arm. "Kíli, wait just a moment."

"Nothing you say, Bofur, is going to change my mind."

"I know tha'. That is why I'm coming with ya. Someone's gotta make sure you stay out of trouble. Give me a moment to grab my mattock."

When Kíli saw the contagious smile on Bofur's face, and Kíli found himself smiling as well. "I guess the company wouldn't hurt."

"Meet me by the stables in five minutes."

Five minutes came and went and when Kíli found Bofur approaching, he was shocked to see he wasn't alone. With Bofur were Nori, Bifur and Dwalin.

"What's this?" Kíli asked.

"Some help," Bofur explained.

Kíli smiled as they mounted their ponies and set off.

 _Don't worry, Fíli. I'm coming_.

* * *

Fíli was unsure for how long or far he had been walking.

He had passed into the forest of Mirkwood some time ago. Soon after that, he lost all sense of time and distance. The only thing he knew for sure was that his feet were weary and his stomach growling. Perhaps it was time to rest. He knew that someone would have spotted him leaving last night and that someone, probably Kíli, would be on their way to find him. As much as he would love to be with his brother, he knew it was too dangerous. He was too dangerous. No, it was best to create as much distance from Erebor as he could and hide in the forest until everything was said and done.

The moment Fíli let his bag drop to the ground, he fell next to it, removing his cloak from his shoulders to allow the breeze hit his skin. He leant against the tree he sat against, head resting on the bark as he closed his eyes for just a moment. His senses were on high alert, wary to any sound of movement that could be heard. His hand rested on the hilt of the knife in his bracer, ready to use it in case something snuck up on him.

A twig snapped behind him, pulling him from his short rest. He pulled his knife out in an instant as he turned to see the source of the noise. When he turned, he saw it was just a rabbit hopping out of its little hole.

With a smile, Fíli turned back around, just in time to see the hilt of the sword as it connected with his head.

TBC...


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have two random but important life lessons for you. Lesson 1) When you go to a foam party and you are dancing on one of the dancing stages, make sure you know where the edge is so you don't fall off it and into the foam and Lesson 2) When watching Perks of Being a Wallflower, make sure you have a full box of tissues handy...especially when the story parallels your high school experience.
> 
> Thank you to my beta Nathalia!

They didn't find any sign of Fíli that day, or the day after.

It had been almost a week with no sign of the missing prince. Kíli spent every moment he wasn't doing something trying to locate his missing brother and always he would come up short.

As the sun began to dawn on a new day, Kíli began to strap on his bow for another search. With his quiver in place he pulled out the latest addition to his assortment of weaponry. A hunting knife. Not just any hunting knife: Fili's hunting knife. On one of their searches they had found it sitting on the floor of the woods with no sign of Fíli anywhere. Kíli kept it on him so that he would always have a piece of his brother with him.

As he examined the edge of the sword, a voice he hadn't heard in some time greeted, "Careful, you might cut yourself with that."

Kíli faltered, stunned by the familiarity. Slowly he spun and he had to rub his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things. There stood Fíli, clear as ever as he leant against the door frame. "I was wondering where I put that."

Slowly he approached, hands held out in front of him. Fíli watched in confusion as his brother approached, placing his hands on Fíli and feeling him. "This is real, right? I'm not imagining anything."

"As real as the weapons you carry. Would you cut it out, you?"

Kíli smiled as he embraced his brother in a hug. The two brothers laughed as they danced around one another.

Once they pulled away, Kíli smacked his brother. "Guess I deserve that."

"Bloody right, you do. Where have you been? Do you have any idea how worried sick everyone's been? We've been looking for you every day since you left!"

"I know! I'm sorry. I just... had to get away. I needed to try and get this under control. I don't want to hurt you or Thorin again."

"Well, next time you decide to disappear, tell us where you are going!"

Fíli laughed. "I will."

"So who knows you're back?"

"Just you. I wanted to surprise everyone. Thank Aüle no one really knows about that secret passage."

The brothers laughed as Kíli clapped a hand on his brother's back. "Come, let us see Uncle Thorin. I can't wait to see the look on his face when he sees you."

As the brothers walked away, Kíli didn't see Fíli's eyes flash to red before turning back to the pearls of blue.

* * *

Everyone was relieved to see Fíli back in Erebor. Immediately he was bombarded with hugs, hits and questions, all of which he took with the grace and dignity of a prince. If anyone was more excited than Kíli that Fíli was back, it was Thorin. He missed his nephew, but what's more was that he missed the smiles and laughter that were currently on both of his nephew's faces. He hadn't seen them in some time and when he did see them before, he could tell they were forced. But today, they were genuine.

As the dwarves and Bilbo enjoyed the return of Fíli, Gandalf and Radagast stood by and watched from afar. Radagast had a smile on his face while Gandalf looked more reserved.

"The lad seems to be doing better," Radagast mused.

"That he does."

Radagast's smile fell as he turned to look at the old grey wizard. "What troubles you, Gandalf?"

"Do you not think it strange that a week has gone by and he returns, apparently free of the curse that has afflicted him? This is a trap, if ever I saw one."

"Or perhaps once the prince left Ravina knew that he plans were foiled seeing as how he would not dare come to the kingdom while he was still under her control."

"No, Ravina is cunning. She would not give up quite so easily. I'm afraid that there is more to this than meets the eye. We will have to keep an eye on him."

* * *

Ravina watched through her pedestal as her puppet wandered the halls freely. A smile danced upon her lips. Everything was going according to plan. After the long week, he plan was finally coming together.

_She hovered over the prince who lay strapped down to her stone tablet. His skin was glistening with the sweat as he shivered and struggled against her powers. His eyes were clenched shut as he moved his head back and forth, muttering beneath his breath. "Give up, my prince. You cannot resist me. You will do as I say."_

_Fíli opened his eyes and gave her a dark, determined glare. "Never."_

_With a smile she placed a finger on his forehead. The moment her skin made contact, he writhed in pain, letting out an ear-piercing scream. "You will obey me."_

As the day began to draw to an end she waved her hand over the watery image of the prince. Fíli came to a stop in the middle of the hall, his face expressionless. "It is time, my pet. You know what has to be done."

His nod was slow as he turned back around and headed the way he came. As the image faded, Ravina smiled. "I have been looking forward to this day. Tonight, Erebor shall be mine."

* * *

As Captain of the Royal Guard, it was Kíli's responsibility to check on the guards periodically through the night. Dwalin had told him he could delegate others to do that job so he could get some rest but Kíli insisted he do it himself. He didn't mind it, after all. Having pulled guard duty during their quest made it easier on him. Almost second nature.

As he walked along the outer walls, he noticed a figure standing by the entrance to the secret passage. Strange, no one should be out there that late at night. "Hundín!"

Hundín came running up to Kíli and, with a bow, asked, "Yes, m'lord?"

"I need you to go see who is standing on the ledge over there. Take a few with you."

"Yes, m'lord."

Kíli watched as Hundín rounded up a few of the other royal guards before racing towards the ledge. At first the meeting seemed to be going casually. Perhaps it was just someone on a midnight stroll.

That thought was squashed, however, when the shadowed figure pulled out his twin swords and dispatched the guards with ease. Kíli watched in horror when he recognized the twin swords. "Fíli?"

Another shadow appeared next to him, one taller and of a feminine nature. Her hair was as black as the night shrouding Erebor.

"No."

Kíli watched as Fíli led the strange woman into the secret passage, followed by a small army of goblins.

"What is it, m'lord?" A guard asked.

"Sound the alarm. We are under attack!"

TBC...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun DUN! Thanks for reading...perhaps you may review?


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I finally finished typing this story up last night and it is currently in the process of being beta'd by my beta. It is a bittersweet thing, having ended it. I loved writing this story and I can't wait to finishing posting this and getting all of your reactions. I hope you all love it as much as I loved writing it. And once again, thank you to my beta, Nathalia!

The dwarves had been completely caught off guard by the attack. Those who were already armed were scrambling about to allow the others to ready themselves, but by then it was too late. The damage had already been done.

Kíli raced through the halls, cutting down goblins as he went. He had to find Thorin. He needed to make sure the King was safe.

By the time he arrived in the armory, he had found Thorin already dispatching goblins with his blade. Kíli did not hesitate to join in the battle. One by one goblins fell to their swords. By the time there was a clear way to get out, Kíli grabbed his uncle's arm and said, "We must get you out of here."

"No, I will not lose Erebor again."

"It won't matter if they catch you or kill you, Uncle! You must come with me!"

Thorin reluctantly agreed and followed his nephew out of the armory. They seldom passed any goblins on their way out and when some were coming up on them, they would hide.

They were nearing the front gate when something jumped out in front of them, blocking their escape. Not just something.

"Fíli," Kíli breathed.

Fíli stood before them, a malicious grin on his face as he twirled his twin blades. Kíli saw that the warm blue in his eyes had been replaced by a fiery red.

"Fíli, this isn't you," Kíli tried to reason.

"I'm afraid that your precious Fíli is not here at the moment," came an almost singing female voice.

Kíli and Thorin looked around, looking for the source but could not find one. When they turned back to Fíli, it was in just enough time to parry the attack. Fíli had always been a fierce fighter and Kíli had only ever fought him in sparring contests. However, this was not sparring. This was a full on assault. There was no letting up.

Whenever the brothers sparred, Fíli had always been the stronger and more skilled swordsman. Give Kíli a bow and the match would be even. Hopefully this match would play out differently, seeing as how Fíli was not entirely himself.

Luck was not on their side.

Fíli managed to knock Kíli's sword from his hands and sent him to the ground with the other. Thorin went to aid his nephew but the distraction was just enough for two goblins to come up behind him and secure both his arms.

With Thorin now incapacitated, Fíli said to the goblins, "Take him to the Queen."

Thorin struggled as the goblins pulled him away. As Thorin disappeared, Fíli turned back to his brother. "You are pathetic, young prince."

Kíli growled as he went to reach for his sword. Fíli, on the other hand, kicked the sword further away. "You call yourself a warrior? You couldn't even save your king."

As Fíli bent over him, Kíli slowly pulled out his brother's dagger. Before he could say any more hurtful words, Kíli lashed out, slashing his brother across the face. Stunned by the attack, Fíli staggered away, pressing his hand to the shallow cut now below his right eye. Using the momentary distraction, Kíli ran off in the direction he saw the goblins take Thorin but was stopped when Dwalin grabbed him in his arms. "No, Kíli, we must get out of here."

"But Thorin…!"

"We cannot save him now. We have to gather our forces and strike when we are fully able."

Kíli tried to get out of the warrior's hold but Dwalin was much stronger. "I don't want to leave him any more than you do, Kíli, but you will be no use to him if you are captured as well, or worse!"

Kíli heard the reason in Dwalin's voice and, as much as it pained him to think so, he was right.

Reluctantly Kíli nodded and allowed Dwalin to take the lead.

* * *

Ravina sat upon the throne with a smile on her face. Oh how she had dreamt of this day.

Finally, everything was falling back into place.

The doors to the hall opened and her puppet entered, bowing his golden head. "M'Lady," he greeted before stepping to the side to reveal the goblins and her prize.

When Ravina recognized Thorin, her smile grew even wider. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the great Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thrain, son of Thror, King under the Mountain," she greeted in a taunting manner.

The goblins pushed Thorin forward and forced him to his knees as Ravina approached. She moved her gaze to Fíli and asked, "What of the prince?"

"He escaped, along with most of Thorin's company. Some of the dwarves are being held in the dining hall now."

She stepped forward and took Fíli's chin in her hands, running her thumb across the cut on his cheek. As she did so, Thorin went to tackle, her but was held in place by the goblins. "Who gave you this?"

"The Durin brat."

"Such a shame to mar such a pretty face."

"Get your hands off him!"

Ravina turned to look back at Thorin, a grin dancing on her lips. "Or what? You are no longer in control, Thorin Oakenshield. I am, and you can thank your nephew here. None of this would be possible without him."

Thorin looked to his nephew, his heart failing when he saw the red in his kin's eyes. "Fíli, listen to me. You are stronger than this. You must fight!"

Fíli slightly tilted his head, his face turning to that of slight confusion. Perhaps he had heard him. "Take him to the dungeons. I will see to him later."

The goblins heaved Thorin to his feet and pulled him along to the dungeons. As they left, Ravina turned to Fíli and said, "Bring me the dwarves in the dining hall one by one. I want to speak to them about their 'allegiance.'"

With a bow, Fíli replied, "As you wish," before stepping off.

Once he disappeared, Ravina fell back into the throne and let out a glorious laugh. Yes, finally she was where she was meant to be.

TBC…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if it seemed a little rushed however when a battle begins that you are not ready for, it tends to end rather quickly. Please R&R!


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the reviews again! Not much to say this time around so just thanks to my reviewers, my beta and now, your chapter!

Ravina watched with a satisfied smile as another one of her new dwarf followers bowed before her before going to join the rest of her mind slaves. As the dwarf did so, Fíli approached her on her right and bowed before her.

"M'Lady, you wished to see me?"

"Indeed I do. How fares our prisoner?"

"He refuses to speak, m'lady. He will not tell us where those that escaped could be hiding."

Ravina pondered for a moment. "Perhaps we may need a little leverage. How are your tracking skills?"

"Very well but I do not think that they will fall for the same ruse twice."

"I would not think so as well. No, we will make a proposition. The prince for the release of the rest of the people."

"Do you think they will fall for it?"

"He is your brother. You tell me."

Fíli bowed once more. "As you wish."

* * *

Those that had escaped Erebor found refuge along the river at the edge of Mirkwood. It provided enough coverage to not be seen but also a view of the Lonely Mountain.

The dwarves were settled about, keeping their minds occupied. Óin was busy tending to the wounded, which were thankfully few in number. Bofur had been helping to gather firewood with Dori and Glóin when he spotted Kíli sitting on a large boulder, watching the Lonely Mountain while sharpening Fíli's hunting knife.

With a sigh, Bofur deposited his load on the ground as he watched the young prince. Balin, who had been wandering around to make sure there was nothing in the woods that could surprise them, came upon Bofur and noticed his distracted gaze.

"What is it, Bofur?" he asked.

"I feel bad for the lad."

Balin turned and saw Kíli watching the horizon. "You keep helping out the best you can, I'll go talk to him."

Balin slowly approached the boulder Kíli was sitting upon and climbed up so he could sit next to the prince. "You probably shouldn't be over here by yourself. The others are worried about you."

"I just need a minute, Balin."

"I know that, lad, but with Thorin captured and Fíli... well, Fíli not being here, the people are going to look to you for guidance."

"I know."

Kíli continued to sharpen the knife, determination set in his features.

"Then why do you separate yourself from everyone?"

"I'm worried, Balin, for Thorin... for Fíli…"

"It's alright to be worried. No one will think less of you for it."

"I just don't want to appear weak in front of them. Thorin never showed worry nor fear yet I feel both as I think about my kin. How am I supposed to lead our people?"

"A leader is not judged by the way he handles his emotions, he is judged by the strength of his heart and confidence in his people. Although Thorin never showed it, there were times when he was worried. Thorin has always been stoic in nature. It doesn't make you weak, Kíli; it makes you who you are."

Kíli smiled. "It should be Fíli here instead of me."

"But it's not. It's you and everyone is behind you every step of the way. The question is: do you know what you are going to do?"

With a smile, Kíli replied, "I have an idea."

After placing the dagger in his belt, he asked, "Can I ask a favor of you, Balin?"

"For you, lad, anything."

"Could you round up Bofur, Bilbo, Dwalin, Dori, Gloin and Bifur and bring them here."

"Of course. May I ask why?"

Kíli simply smirked. "You will see."

* * *

Balin rounded up the dwarves that Kíli had asked for and brought them to the boulder Kíli had been occupying. When they arrived, Kíli could feel his nerves already welling up inside him. He turned to Balin who gave him a reassuring nod. After taking a deep breath, Kíli began.

"As we know, Fíli has been taken over by Ravina, Thorin has been captured and Erebor stolen from us. Right now, Ravina thinks we are weak defenseless. We should use this assumption to our advantage. I have asked you to be here because your skills are what we need. The plan is simple. Bofur, Dwalin, Dori, Gloin, Bifur and I are going to draw Fíli out. Meanwhile, Bilbo is going to sneak into the mountain, find Thorin and find a means of getting him out. Fíli knows about the secret entrance and it would not surprise me if he has guards posted there. I am leaving Balin in charge while we are gone. When we draw Fíli out, we are going to try and grab him. If we can get Fíli away from Ravina, we may have a chance to take Erebor by surprise. Once Bilbo returns we will make a new plan to retake Erebor."

"Seems like a sound plan. What do we do when we catch Fíli?" Dwalin asked.

"I am going to have Nori and Ori go find Gandalf. Perhaps Gandalf has found something by now."

As if he had heard his name, Nori came running towards the group, panting heavily. "I have news from Dale."

"What is it?" Glóin asked.

"Fíli has been spotted leaving Erebor. Apparently he is coming to meet with Kíli and offer him a deal. If Kíli turns himself over, Ravina will release the other trapped dwarves."

The dwarves began to mutter amongst themselves.

"It's a trap, it has to be," Dori said.

"Kíli wouldn't fall for that, would you lad? Kíli?" Bofur inquired.

But Kíli was lost in thought. Balin stepped in front of him and asked, "You aren't really considering this, are you?"

"Of course not. Fíli may have always been the smarter of the two of us but even I'm not that thick to fall for it. But we may be able to use this to our advantage. Which way was he headed?"

"He's following the river. He could be here in an hour, maybe two if he moves slowly."

Kíli turned to Balin. "Take everyone further into the woods. Make sure none of them are seen."

Balin nodded and ran off towards the rest of the dwarves. "Nori, take Ori and try to locate Gandalf. We may need him later."

With a bow Nori fled after Balin. With those two gone, Kíli turned to the rest of the remaining group and said, "There isn't much time to waste. Bilbo, I suggest you get going. We have some work to do."

TBC…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, Leader!Kíli! Don't mess with his family! What do you think is going to happen next? Do you think this plan is going to work? Please R&R!


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my reviewers and to my beta! Only 6 more chapters to go after this! :)

Once Bilbo had parted from the group, he immediately slipped on the Ring and began to run towards Erebor. It was Mirkwood all over again, only this time he had a better sense of where he was going.

Bilbo didn't know how long he had been running for, only that the sun was hovering directly over the Lonely Mountain and his stomach was rumbling. Luncheon, probably.

When he arrived at the secret passage, he sighed when he saw that Kíli was right. Two guards stood by the passage. Not just any guards, dwarf guards. Their eyes were glowing red as they stared off into nothingness. Had Ravina turned them into puppets like she had done to Fíli? Bilbo was careful as he slipped past them and entered the Lonely Mountain once more.

It was strange how different it was now that things had changed. Once again it seemed a dark, dismal place. Thorin had brought so much light to this kingdom. It was unfair that it had been ripped from him a second time in such a short amount of time. Bilbo prayed that after everything was over that Erebor could live in peace. Thorin deserved it.

The most logical place for Ravina to be holding Thorin seemed to be the dungeons. Bilbo had never actually been down there before, seeing as how there really was no need to find out where the dungeons were located. He was going to have to try to follow someone down there.

Bilbo had been quite right on what time it was, seeing as how he watched as a dwarf was carrying a plate of food down a set of stairs. As silently as he could, Bilbo followed in pursuit.

Bilbo had never really known how deep Erebor went. He didn't think they would have delved too far. Oh, how wrong he was. They seemed to descend forever, going deeper into the mountain. If they didn't stop soon, Bilbo feared they may hit the center of the world and who knew what awaited them there.

Finally, the dwarf guard stepped off into a passageway lit only by a few torches. The air about it made Bilbo shiver with just how dark and desolate it felt. Perfect place for a dungeon.

The dwarf came to stand before a set of iron bars and slid the plate through the slit. Without so much as a word, the dwarf turned and began walking towards Bilbo, passing him by without sensing the invisible Hobbit's presence.

As soon as he was gone, Bilbo slid off the ring and ran towards the cell door the dwarf had been standing in. The room was dark, almost impossible to see anything or anyone in it.

"Thorin?" Bilbo hissed.

"Bilbo?"

Suddenly Thorin emerged from the shadows, his eyes wide in shock at seeing the Hobbit. "Bilbo, what are you doing down here?"

To say that the state of the King was shocking to Bilbo was an understatement. His normally clean plaits were in disarray. His eyes were dark and hollow and his clothes were covered in grime. What had Ravina done in the short amount of time that she had Thorin?

"Are you alright?" Bilbo asked.

"I've been better. You still haven't answered my question."

"Right, Kíli has a plan but he needs your help. Do you know any other way in and out of Erebor?"

"Kíli has a plan?"

"Yes, I know, it came as a shock to me too. Is there another way in and out of Erebor?"

Thorin shook his head. "Just the front gate and the secret entrance."

"Come on, Thorin, there must be another way!"

"There is none, Master Baggins. If there was I'm sure I would know."

Bilbo sighed. "Well we will just have to work around that. I'm sorry I can't get you out yet but I promise we will not let you dwell here any longer than is necessary."

Thorin nodded. "I understand."

Although every part of him wanted to break Thorin out now, he knew there was no way he could smuggle him out without alerting someone. Not yet, at least.

As Bilbo turned to leave, Thorin asked, "Bilbo, wait."

Bilbo spun back around. "Yes, Thorin?"

"How is Kíli? How is he…?"

Bilbo smiled. "He's a natural Durin."

Thorin cracked a smirk as he watched Bilbo disappear.

* * *

Kíli watched from behind a boulder as Fíli entered the line of trees. His eyes were still glowing red as he scanned the area. Kíli looked around.

Dwalin was poised between a set of boulders by the river. In one of the overhanging trees, hidden amongst the branches was Bofur. Gloin, Dori and Bifur were hiding in the bushes, watching the area with an eagle eye.

As Fíli stepped closer, Kíli could feel his heart beat in his chest. This was the moment. It was now or never. "I hear you are looking for me."

Fíli's reaction was instantaneous. In a second, his swords were in his hands as he watched Kíli emerge from behind the rock, his hands held out to his sides to show he did not wield his sword.

Fíli smirked, suppressing a chuckle. "Nori."

"He has always been the ears of the company."

"So you know why I'm here then."

Kíli nodded. "Care to make this easy?"

Kíli shook his head. "Figures. You were never one for making things easy."

"Why would I start now?"

The two brothers stood off against each other, waiting for the other to make the first move, their eyes locked.

The moment Fíli flinched, Kíli had drawn out his sword.

The two brothers fought as vicious as ever. The swords rang with each contact. Kíli struggled beneath the power of his brother but this time he was prepared. This time, he would not lose. As Fíli's two swords came down on Kíli, Kíli blocked with his one sword and attempted to push his brother off.

"You will not win. I'm stronger than you, faster than you, better than you in every way."

"No, you are not. You want to know why?"

"Oh, and why is that, little Durin?" Fíli asked in a mocking way.

Kíli pushed Fíli off and rapidly pulled out an arrow from his quiver and threw it directly at Fíli. The arrow flew straight and true, barely slicing Fíli's abdomen in the same vicinity as one of Fíli's early wounds. It was enough to send Fíli to knees, his hand applying pressure to the wound. As he did so, Kíli approached, his sword already back in his hilt and his bow drawn, an arrow notched and aimed directly at Fíli.

"Because you are not my brother."

Fíli gave Kíli a deathly glare as the other dwarves emerged. Dwalin and Bifur hoisted Fíli to his feet and pinned his hands behind his back for Dori to bind them. "Blindfold him. We don't want him to know where we are."

"Are you sure?" Bofur asked.

As Kíli looked at the dark smirk on his brother's face, he replied without emotion, "Do it."

Bofur applied the blindfold awkwardly before Dwalin and Bifur pressed Fíli further. Once they were gone, Gloin placed a hand on Kíli's shoulder and said, "Well done, Kíli."

Kíli gave him a smile before following after them. Hopefully Nori had found Gandalf who could provide some answers.

TBC...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a doozy! Thanks for reading and I hope you review! I love hearing your feedback!


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAHA! We are coming down to the last 5 intense chapters of the story! I can't believe it is coming to an end! AHHH!
> 
> Thanks again to my beta! I can't thank you enough for all you have done!

The dwarves were taking turns watching Fíli as they waited on Bilbo and Nori to return.

Ever since they had dragged him into camp and bound him to a tree, he hadn't said a word. He just sat there with a smile on his face while his red eyes watched Kíli. It did not matter where Kíli was; he always made sure he had a clear view of him.

As Kíli stood with Balin and Gloin, Bilbo came running through the trees, out of breath.

"Bilbo, what news do you bring?" Gloin asked.

"Well, I found him but I unfortunately couldn't find any other way in. I'm sorry."

"It is fine. You have done well, Bilbo," Kíli nodded to him.

As Bilbo caught his breath, his eyes found Fíli. "Is he still…?"

"Unfortunately. We are waiting for Nori and Ori to return with, hopefully, Gandalf in tow."

After a few moments of locking gazes with the form of his brother, Kíli excused himself from the group and moved towards him.

When he approached, the guards bowed. "Leave us. I would like to have a word with him in private."

The guards obeyed Kíli's wish and left with a bow. Soon as they were out of earshot, Fíli asked in a taunting fashion, "Let me guess, you are here to ask me about Ravina's plans and how to stop her."

"Actually no. I'm here to get my brother back."

"Your brother is right here."

"No, he isn't," Kíli replied, taking a knee so he could see right into Fíli's red eyes. "He is locked away somewhere in there. You may have his face and his voice, but you are just a shadow. You are not my brother."

"Oh, but I am. I am the stronger part of your brother. The side that doesn't feel mercy or regret."

"That does not make you stronger. My brother is strong because he feels mercy. He feels regret. He feels loyalty and love. You are never capable of that."

"It's his ability to feel that landed him here."

Kíli watched him with a shocked look. "What do you mean?"

"After the battle, after he killed Azog, he felt pain and regret. He began to feel me taking over and when he did, he became afraid. No matter how hard he tried, he could not get rid of me so he became afraid that he might _become_ me. He was afraid that if he gave in he would hurt his poor, pathetic little brother and his worthless uncle. Fear is a weakness. The moment his fear began to take hold, it provided the very entrance Ravina needed. She fed off his fear and began to pull at it. Play with it. The more she pulled, the more fearful he got. Almost killing your uncle was the final straw, the last piece of the puzzle that Ravina needed. It drove him away and directly to her. Once she had him, he became the very thing he feared. She unlocked me, trapping your pitiful brother away, never to see the light of day again. All because your brother had those emotions you think make him strong. If he was strong, none of this would have happened."

A smug smirk pulled at the corners of Fíli's lips.

Kíli felt overwhelmed. How dare this thing speak of his brother that way? How dare he use his brother's voice to taunt him so? Tears stung his eyes the corners of his eyes as he tried to hold them back. "No, you're wrong. Because my brother is not trapped. He is still in there, fighting to come back and when he does, you will be gone for good. He will win; I know he will. Because he is my brother and if there is one thing that he would never do is give up."

"That's what you think."

"No, that's what I know."

Bilbo rushed up behind them, panting as he tried to catch his breath. "Kíli, Nori and Ori are back."

"Is Gandalf with them?"

"No, but they did bring Radagast."

Radagast? That old loon? Where was Gandalf? Kíli took one last look at Fíli before standing and following Bilbo towards Radagast.

It seemed, though, that the brown wizard wanted to see Fíli for himself.

"Not good," he muttered the moment he saw the red in Fíli's eyes.

"Where is Gandalf?" Kíli asked.

"He's following up on something important but no worries, young lad; I may have something that can help."

From beneath his sleeve, he pulled out a glowing blue crystal. Kíli and Bilbo looked at it quizzically. "A crystal?"

With a look that told them to watch, he moved towards Fíli, holding the crystal out. It seemed that the moment he saw the crystal, he squirmed to get away from it. In a low tone, Radagast began to chant something. Fíli let out a low growl. "Stop…" he hissed.

Nevertheless, Radagast continued. The louder Radagast got the more violent Fíli became. The crystal grew lighter and lighter until there was a flash of blue light, followed by a loud scream from Fíli. Kíli had to avert his eyes from the light. When he finally was able to see, he looked at his brother who was slumped against the tree. "Fíli!"

Kíli fell to the ground next to his brother, holding up his chin in his hands. Fíli groaned, his eyes fluttering open. "Kee?" he muttered.

Kíli's heart leapt with joy when he saw the red leave his eyes, leaving the warm blue irises looking back. "Fíli?"

As Fíli let slip a smile and a low chuckle, Kíli's grin grew ten times its size as he wrapped his arms around his brother, laughing in delight. "You're back!"

"Easy, Kíli, you're crushing me... why am I tied to a tree?"

Kíli let go and looked at him with concern. "You mean you don't remember?"

"Remember what?"

* * *

After they freed Fíli from the tree, Balin explained to him what had happened. With every word of the tale, Fíli felt like he was choking on the air he breathed. Had he done all of that? Had he led Ravina into Erebor? Had he captured his uncle and thrown him into the dungeons? Had he nearly killed his brother - and who knows how many dwarves that were standing to defend his uncle's kingdom?

Once Balin was done, Fíli had to excuse himself. He rushed towards the river, falling to his knees by the side as he stared into his reflection in the water. What sort of monster he had become?

As he gazed into his reflection, he watched it come to life and hiss at him, " _You did this_."

Fíli lurched before turning to the side and spewing the contents of his stomach on the flora beside him. How could he face his uncle and his brother after everything he had done? How dare Kíli forgive him?

"You really shouldn't blame yourself, laddie," Bofur said as he slowly came behind Fíli.

"Why not? It's all my fault."

"How's that?"

"You heard what Kíli said I said. I was too weak to fight her off."

"You are many things, Fíli, but weak is not one of them."

"Then how do you explain everything?"

"That wasn't weakness. That was battling forces beyond you. No one could have fought it off, not even your uncle."

"He would have never allowed it in the first place."

Fíli and Bofur shared a laugh. Once it settled, Fíli placed a hand on Bofur's shoulder. "Thanks for that."

"Anytime, lad. It's what I do."

With a nod, Fíli cast his gaze over to Kíli, Balin, Dwalin and Radagast who were busy in a deep conversation. "What do you think they are discussing?"

"What to do now. Things have been going well so far, except for a tiny snag."

"Which is?"

"Seems we can't find another way in, and I'm sure Ravina won't take too kindly to us just walking right through the front door."

At first Fíli just nodded at Bofur's statement but as soon as an idea struck him, his demeanor changed. "Maybe she would."

Before Bofur could ask, he found himself chasing after Fíli who was speed walking over to the group meeting. As Fíli approached, he heard Radagast say, "The enchantment won't work forever. It's just a temporary relief."

"Then we are just going to have to go to Ravina and make her reverse it," Kíli said bluntly.

"And how do ye s'pose we do tha'? There's not another way in, remember?" Dwalin asked.

"Actually, there is," Fíli stated as he finally reached them. All eyes were upon him. "You got an idea, brother?" Kíli asked.

"Yes, but it's a bit... tricky."

Kíli smiled as he crossed his arms. "I like the sound of it already."

TBC…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to cut down on cliffhangers. This really isn't a cliffhanger...hey, do you guys know who created the cliffhanger? It was Charles Dickens and I can't remember which story of his it was but because his stories were written as chapters in a newspaper that came out every week, to keep his readers hooked, the end of the chapter he had someone hanging off of a cliff, hence the term, cliffhanger. Weird but cool, eh? So you can blame him! Alright, enough rambling, thanks for reading so please review!


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, who al watches The Almighty Johnsons? Who all saw yesterday's episode? OMG MY BRAIN IS STILL NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY FROM THAT EPISODE! GAHH! If you haven't seen it and love Dean O'Gorman and/or Norse Mythology, seriously, go watch that show. IT IS INTENSE!
> 
> Anyway, thanks for the reviews and thanks to my beautiful beta!

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Ori asked as he watched Fíli very loosely bind Kíli's hands in front of him.

"No, but it's the best one we got," Fíli replied as he finished.

As Kíli tested the limits of his range of motion Dwalin stepped forward and stated, "I still think someone else should go with ya lads, just in case."

"I know, but we've been over this before. Bilbo can't sneak anyone else in and as good a fighter as my brother is, there is no way he could best and capture you as well as me," Kíli explained.

"I heard that."

Fíli and Kíli shared a smile as Fíli attached Kíli's sword to his hip and reapplied his hunting knife on his persons. Once fully armed Fíli turned to his brother and asked, "You ready?"

"Yes. Now we just need our burglar and the finishing touch."

"Finishing touch?"

As if on cue, Radagast appeared behind Fíli and covered his eyes with his own hands.

"What in Durin's beard…?"

"Shh…" Radagast hushed as he let his hands slowly fall away. As Fíli's eyes became visible, Kíli smiled when he saw they were once again red. "Thank you, Radagast."

"The spell won't last for long, so make sure you get out quickly."

The brothers gave a nod as Bilbo ran up to them.

"We ready?"

Soon the trio set out back to Erebor. The plan was simple: Bilbo would sneak through the secret passage and make his way to Thorin. As he did so, Fíli would escort Kíli through the front gate, pretending to have captured him. If everything worked out, Ravina would have Fíli escort Kíli to the dungeons where they would meet up with Bilbo and Thorin and they would sneak out without alerting anyone. The entire plan hinged on Ravina believing Fíli was still in her control and being predictable.

Since Fíli didn't remember his behavior while he was possessed, Kíli informed him on their trip to the mountain the mannerisms of "dark" Fíli.

Fíli was mortified to find out what his dark side was like. It made his stomach churn when Kíli told him about the arrogant and malicious conversation Kíli had shared with him. And that part of him was still inside him. He could feel it trying to claw its way to the surface. But Fíli didn't show how perturbed he was for what his evil side was like. Instead, he focused on the task at hand.

Eventually they arrived at the place where Bilbo would be parting their company. "Good luck, Master Boggins," Kíli wished.

"As well as you. Be careful."

"If we were careful it wouldn't be nearly as fun."

Bilbo smiled as he ran off towards the secret passage. Once the Hobbit was out of view, the two brothers continued.

* * *

Considering he knew exactly where he was going this time around, Bilbo found it much easier to make his way to the dungeons. The darkness and claustrophobic feel to it still bugged him. He needed to make sure to tell Thorin to do something about that. Not that Bilbo hoped he never ever had to find himself back down there in the foreseeable future however, just in case.

When Bilbo got close to Thorin's cell, he slipped off the ring and hissed through the bars, "Thorin? Thorin, you there?"

"What's going on, Bilbo?"

"We're getting you out of here. You wouldn't, perhaps, know where are the keys to this thing?"

Thorin nodded his head to the opposing wall. "They keep them there so as to taunt me."

When Bilbo spun around, he instantly spotted the keys. "Ah."

Very quickly, Bilbo removed the key ring from the wall and went to unlock the cell door. It took a few tries but eventually he found the right key and swung it open. As soon as Thorin was free, he wrapped his arms around the Hobbit.

"Thank you once again, Master Baggins. Now what is the rest of this plan?"

"We wait."

Thorin nodded and motioned for Bilbo to follow him to a hiding spot. It seemed everything was going according to plan. Hopefully the lads upstairs were having an easy time as well.

* * *

It felt awkward pretending to be vicious towards his little brother. Having to push him and order him forward in a harsh tone was difficult enough. He just hoped the ruse would work.

When they approached the front gates, one of the dwarf guards approached and asked to Fíli, "What is your business here?"

"I have brought the queen her prize."

Fíli gave Kíli a slight push forward for added effect and Kíli returned it with a menacing scowl. The guard nodded and side-stepped to allow them entrance. So far, so good.

A few of the other dwarf guards had decided to escort them to Ravina so it meant that the brothers couldn't communicate without blowing their cover.

They found her sitting... well, more like lounging in Thorin's throne. When she saw Fíli and whom he was escorting, a smile came to her lips and she instantly jumped to her feet, stepping towards them with her hands clapped together in front of her. "Excellent work. I hope he didn't cause you too much trouble."

"Not at all, m'lady," Fíli replied with a bow.

As a silence befell them, Fíli hesitated before pretending to force Kíli to his knees. As much as he wanted to stay right at his brother's side and protect him from anything Ravina had planned, he knew he couldn't do that without raising suspicion so he took a step back. Ravina circled Kíli like a vulture as he kept his eyes straight forward and his head held high. "Tell me, Prince, what do you think of your brother now?"

"What did you do to him?"

"I've unlocked him. Made him stronger. It didn't take much. Don't worry, you and your uncle will be joining him soon."

"I doubt that. You've met my uncle. He makes even the most stubborn horse look well-behaved."

"We shall see about that." Ravina gave a nod to Fíli. At first Fíli was unsure what it was she wanted him to do.

"Well don't just stand there, take him to the dungeons until we need him."

Fíli nodded and pulled Kíli to his feet. All the while, he could feel Ravina's eyes boring holes into the back of his neck as her glare pierced his skin. He was very glad to be getting out of her line of sight.

As soon as they were far enough away from her and out of the line of sight of the rest of the dwarves, Fíli helped Kíli get free.

"Well, that worked better than I thought it would," Kíli said as he pulled the rest of the ropes off.

"Let's just get out of here as quick as we can. I don't want to stay here any longer than we have to."

As they ran towards the dungeons, they had no idea that Ravina had seen the red fade from Fíli's eyes.

* * *

When the two brothers reached the dungeons, it didn't take long to find their uncle. As happy as Fíli was to see Thorin, he kept himself a little further away than Kíli. After all, it was his fault that they were in this mess. He had done this.

A faint drumming hummed in his head. Instinctually Fíli brought his hand to it, scrunching his eyes closed.

"What is it?" Kíli asked, noticing the discomfort in his brother's face.

When the drumming stopped, he replied, "Nothing. Let's just get out of here, yeah?"

They were just about to take a step forward when they heard the shouting of voices and the clattering of weapons.

"They're onto us," Kíli muttered.

"Run!"

The three dwarves and hobbit began to run towards the secret passage. The closer they got to the passage, the louder and harder the drums were getting. It was making it rather difficult for Fíli to run. They had just reached one of the long hallways when Fíli's knees buckled. The drumming was getting too unbearable.

"Fee!"

_"You cannot fight me, Fíli. I've seen your mind…"_

"She's coming…" Fíli muttered through gritted teeth.

Kíli tried to get Fíli to his feet but Fíli couldn't order his legs to stand. When his eyes opened to look at his brother, Kíli could see the red starting to swell back into his eyes.

"Kíli go!" Fíli ordered.

"No, we're not leaving you."

_"You will obey me. Stop them and bring them to me."_

"No!"

Fíli pulled out Kíli's sword and handed it to his brother. "Get Thorin and Bilbo out of here."

"I'm not leaving you…"

"You have to, Kee. I can only hold her off for so long. You have to get out of here. Take back Erebor. Stop Ravina."

"And we will. Together. Just like we've always done."

Fíli shook his head, the pain becoming almost too much for him to stand anymore. "Not this time, brother. I've always gotten you out of trouble, Kee. It's your turn. I have every little bit of faith in you. Now go!"

Kíli didn't want to leave but when the shout of voices got closer he nodded and pressed his forehead against his brother's. "I'll be back for you."

"I know you will. Just don't take too long, 'kay?"

They laughed once more before he, Thorin and Bilbo disappeared down the hall.

Once they were gone, Fíli slowly got to his feet and pulled out his twin swords. He needed to give them time. Ravina's power was starting to take hold again but he was not going to succumb. Not this time.

As the first of the swarm of mindslaves and goblins came running around the corner, Fíli attacked. He managed to get a few good swings in before an agonizing pain erupted through his whole body. He fell to the ground, his swords escaping from his grip as he cried out in pain. The mind-slaves picked him up and placed him on his knees, holding his hands behind him as Ravina approached. "Where are they?"

"Some place you could never reach them."

"We shall see about that. Take him to the throne room and make sure he is... comfortable."

The enslaved dwarves pulled Fíli to his feet and struggled to push him down the hall towards the throne room. Ravina may have lost her prize, but she still had her most valuable player.

* * *

Thorin, Kíli and Bilbo ran and ran, their feet aching and their bodies tiring.

It wasn't until they were nearing the entrance to the woods did they stop to get a breather. Bilbo fell on the ground, his back lying against the brown grass as he caught his breath. Thorin was hunched over, his hands resting on his knees as his breathing became slow and more controlled. But Kíli, Kíli remained standing upright, his breathing already in a steady rhythm as he stared upon the horizon at Erebor. Anger and rage welled inside him until he could not contain it anymore. A loud, thunderous curse in Khuzdul rang from his lips as he picked up a stone and cast it at the Lonely Mountain.

"I'm going to kill her. I'm going to put an arrow through her eye and cut out her heart. I will make her wish she had never thought to mess with our family! I'll…."

Thorin came to his nephew and placed a hand on his shoulder. As soon as the physical contact was made, Kíli broke down, turning to his uncle and silently crying into his shoulder. Thorin's other hand wrapped around his shoulders and held him close.

"I'm going to have to have a word with Dwalin on what he teaches you boys."

Thorin held his nephew as Bilbo watched on with sadness. As weird as it was, the dwarves had sort of become his family. Before they had arrived unexpectedly at his door, he lived alone, having the occasional visitors but very much alone. His parents were gone and he never really went to visit his extended family over in Tuckborough. No, his life had been lonely... until the dwarves had shown up.

They were his family.

And today, Ravina was going to find out what happens when you messed with his family.

TBC...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please read and review! Who knows, maybe I'll be nice and give you the next chapter earlier than expected ;)


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for reading! I would have posted this sooner but I was out all last night with a friend I haven't seen in a while so I'm sorry for the delay! Anyway, thank you to all my reviewers and to my beta!

The agonizing scream that erupted from Fíli's throat ricocheted off the walls of the throne room. Once the scream subsided, Fíli slunched over as far as the chains binding his hands to the ground would allow him. Beads of sweat dripped down his face as his breathing became labored.

Ravina circled him, tracing her fingers across his shoulders. "Why do you fight it, prince? You can make it easier on yourself and just give in."

Fíli glanced up, eyes set and his teeth gritted. "Never."

Another wave of pain engulfed Fíli's body. It felt as if he were burning him from the inside out.

"Tell me where they are."

Even though the pain was almost too much to handle, Fíli managed to shake his head. Instantly the pain worsened.

"TELL ME WHERE THEY ARE!"

"M'lady."

The pain stopped and Fíli crumpled on the floor, coughing and heaving as he took in the moment of peace.

"What is it?" Ravina asked in an irritated voice at the dwarf that had dared to interrupt her.

"M'lady, we may know where the dwarves are hiding."

" _May_?"

"We can't be completely sure but one of the guards spotted some shadows heading towards Mirkwood."

"Mirkwood?" The sneer on her face was sickening as she turned and looked at the broken prince at her feet. "Why don't we go and give them a little visit? Make ready the troops, we leave within the hour."

As she walked away, she approached her pet. "Make sure our _guest_ is well looked after."

"As you wish m'lady."

Fíli kept his eyes on the mangled man as the throne room cleared. He needed to get out of there and fast. Fíli had to warn Thorin that Ravina was going to try to surprise them. If he could get to them first, they could gain the advantage.

First things first, he needed to get rid of these chains.

"So, you one of her mind puppets too?"

The mangled man looked at Fíli with a blank stare. "I'll take that as a no."

"Prisoner should not be talking."

"Well, if that's the case then neither should you."

"I am no prisoner. I am her humble servant."

"Is that what you call it? The way I see it, she doesn't care about you. The only person she cares about is herself. You're nothing to her. All she'll ever see you as is another slave…"

He should have seen the consequences of his words. Unfortunately he didn't get to see it until the foot collided with his stomach. The kick was immediately followed by a series of blows to his body.

After about the fifth hit, Fíli twisted and wrapped his legs around the man's waist. In doing so, he gave another twist of his body and brought the man to the ground. Once he was down, Fíli repositioned his legs so they wrapped around the man's throat and began to squeeze. The mangled man choked and coughed as he struggled for air. Ultimately, it was too much for him and his eyes rolled into the back of his head as he lost consciousness.

The moment his body loosened, Fíli let go and used his legs to slide the man over. It took some work and energy to do it. Fíli's body screamed in protest at the extra work, his body still in a considerable amount of pain but he fought through it. He had to. For Thorin and for Kíli.

Eventually the work paid off and Fíli's fingers were finally within grasp of the keys on the man's belt. His hands shook as he struggled to pair key to lock but he managed it, rubbing his wrists as soon as they were free.

Before rushing out of the mountain, he grabbed his weapons that Ravina had placed by the throne. Their weight of was crushing but he wasn't going to leave them behind. After all, he was going to need them for the battle to come.

* * *

When Thorin, Kíli and Bilbo arrived, they informed everyone of what had happened and that they were to prepare for battle for they were going to march upon Erebor once more.

Kíli sat off to the side, sharpening his sword. Out of the corner of his eyes, he watched every Dwarrow prepare for battle. Some of the Dwarrowdams would be joining them but most were told to take the children to Laketown and wait for the battle to be over before they joined their husbands in the mountain. His mind was completely focused on Fíli.

_"I'll be back for you."_

_"I know you will. Just don't take too long, 'kay?"_

They had already wasted enough time making a plan. Who knew what Ravina was putting his brother through at this very moment in time.

Kíli was adamant that the moment they got back to the camp that they would march on Erebor but Thorin stopped him. "We have to think sensible here, Kíli. You are tired and weary from your journey, don't think I cannot see it. We have to make sure every fighter is fully capable if we are to win this battle."

Kíli wished to argue but the look Thorin gave him said his word was final and so, he sulked in the corner.

He watched as Thorin discussed matters with Balin and Gloin. Not a single look of worry was evident on his face. Did he not care about Fíli? Did he not care that Ravina was probably _torturing_ him at this very moment in time?

From the trail to the west, Gandalf emerged. "There you are! I've been looking for you for quite some time," Gandalf sighed as he walked up to greet Thorin.

"Tell me you have news on how to free Fíli."

"Indeed I do, but it will not be easy. We are going to have to kill Ravina."

"Seems easy enough to me," Glóin stated.

"There is more, Master Glóin. Once she is killed, her hold should cease; however, there will still be a part of her within Fíli. More than likely she will try to fight back through Fíli. When she does, we will have to subdue Fíli and expel her from him."

"And how do you suppose we do that?" Thorin asked.

"Leave that to us. You just worry about taking back your kingdom."

"And getting Fíli," Kíli spoke up as he walked over to the party. "Are we ready then?"

Thorin nodded. "Gather everyone. We leave within the hour."

* * *

The dwarves had been marching for only an hour when they spotted Ravina and her army heading in their direction. The two armies stopped, their leaders stepping forward just a little to spot the other.

Kíli's hand clenched tighter on his bow as he glared at the woman who had stolen his brother from him. Beside him stood Bilbo, Sting drawn from his scabbard and although his heart raced with worry about the battle that was about to ensue, a strange sort of fire burned inside him. These Dwarves had become his family and no one messed with his family. No one.

Kíli's eyes scanned the army that stood before them, looking to see if his brother was among the ranks. Bilbo noticed what Kíli was doing and began to scan too. The Hobbit sighed in relief when he realized Fíli was not among their ranks. Kíli recognized it too but as much relief as it brought, it also brought concern. Where was Fíli and what had the witch done to him?

A long pause ensued as the commanders waited to see who was to make the first move. Ravina removed her sword from the saddle on her horse and held it high in the air before yelling, "Charge!"

The moment they began to move, Thorin pulled out his sword and bellowed in Khuzdul. The dwarves cried out in reply as they, too, charged.

And thus, the battle had begun.

TBC...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you are, my beautiful readers! I love you all so much! Thank you for reading and I hope you will take the time to review and give me your feedback. Only 3 more chapters to go, my friends!


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again thank you to my wonderful beta!

The battle raged on, plaguing the fields that had just recovered from the previous battle. But this one was not nearly as cut and dry as the last, for this one, the enemy was not just Orcs or goblins. These were fellow dwarves, some of them even kin. They did not wish to harm them for they were not themselves. No, they just needed to hold them at bay until Ravina could be slain.

Thorin kept scanning the battle, looking for Ravina. She was the key to finishing this battle. The sea of combat was thick. Although both sides did not have many soldiers, together they numbered greatly. How hard could it be to spot Ravina among them?

After the crowd around him dispersed, Thorin's steel eyes spotted Ravina. She stood motionless, a sword in her hands as dwarves fought all around her. Thorin ground his teeth as he growled, "Ravina."

Her lips twitched as she brought up her sword. Anger flared within him as he charged.

* * *

By the time Fíli reached the plains, the fray had already begun.

His swords were drawn and at the ready as he stumbled through. He had to find Thorin and Kíli. He needed to make sure they were alive.

A dwarf began to charge towards Fíli, and he instantly recognized him. Valek had befriended Ori shortly after everyone had moved into Erebor. He had been put in charge of restoring the historical records found in Erebor. He was timid and shy, which was probably why he and Ori got along so famously.

Fíli quickly blocked his attack, sending him to the ground.

"I'm really sorry for this," he muttered before hitting the back of his head with the hilt of his sword.

As he stood up an arrow whizzed past his ear, embedding itself in a goblin that had snuck up behind him. Fíli recognized the feathers on the arrow. When he turned to make some sort of remark to his brother, he found himself unable to due to Kíli crushing him in a hug. "You escaped!"

"Never been one for giving up... could you ease up a bit, Kee? You're crushing my lungs."

When Kíli let go he saw the state of his brother. "You look terrible."

"I'm fine. Where's Thorin?"

"I don't know. I lost him pretty early on. He's probably searching for Ravina."

"I need to find him. He can't take her on by himself."

Before Fíli could leave, Kíli grabbed his arm. "You're in no better condition. We'll do it together."

Fíli nodded as he motioned for Kíli to follow. The brothers fought through the crowd, making sure to only disarm and incapacitate, no kill, unless it was a goblin. The brothers were an unstoppable force. Separate they were outstanding fighters. Together, they were unrelenting. When one made a move, the other had a perfect follow up to go along with it. There was no stopping them.

The arrow had come from nowhere, hitting Kíli in the leg. He stopped and stared at the arrow, pulling out his bow and shooting the goblin who fired it.

"You alright?" Fíli asked.

"Fine, a little difficult to walk is all."

Fíli looked around and spotted a good vantage point for Kíli to stay at and use his bow. He took his brother's arm over his shoulder and helped him limp to the spot.

When they arrived Fíli gently sat him down and said, "Stay here. I'm going to find Thorin."

Kíli nodded. "Be careful, Fee."

"I always am."

They pressed their foreheads together one last time before they parted ways.

Fíli pressed on, keeping his head on a swivel as he focused to find his uncle.

When he finally spotted him, his face ashened. He was in a heavy mêlée with Ravina. Thorin fought with strength as he fended her off. His moves were swift and powerful; the characteristics of a strong king. It seemed Ravina was no match for the true King of Erebor.

At first it seemed the battle may have been won. Thorin was unrelenting in his blows and he seemed to have overpowered the witch. That was, until Ravina knocked Thorin's sword from his hand and slashed his arm.

He wasn't sure when his feet had begun to move, but soon Fíli found himself rushing at her.

The distance between them never seemed to diminish as Fíli advanced. All he could see was Ravina kicking his sword away and knocking him on his back. Her boot crushed his chest, keeping him still as she placed her sword on his neck.

"Prepare to die, Thorin Oakenshield."

The way she said his name was that of a taunt. How dare she say his name in such a way? How dare she even utter it at all?

Before Ravina could so much as twitch her sword to end the King, an enormous pain shot through her chest. Thorin's eyes squinted as they focused on the tip of the blade now protruding through her. As she gasped for breath Fíli leant in close and whispered in her ear, "You first."

As he pulled his sword out she fell to her knees, trying to stay the blood now oozing from the open chest wound. Thorin stood up, towering over her as she slumped to the ground and giving ger last breath. The moment all the life left her body, the dwarves who had been under her control dropped. Those that had been fighting for Thorin placed their weapons on the ground and knelt down next to the unconcious dwarves, watching with glee and laughter as they came to and asked what had happened.

Thorin and Fíli locked eyes and a smile before Fíli fell to his knees, panting as he tried to get his breath. "Fíli!"

Fíli was unsure if his body was just tired from the mind torture Ravina had put him through, the effort it had taken to escape or the hold Ravina had leaving his body that had weakened him so.

Thorin rushed to his nephew's side and helped him to his feet. "Are you alright?"

"I think so." They shared a smile before Thorin placed his hand on Fíli's shoulder.

"That is the second time you have saved my life. There are no words that can express gratitude nor pride that I have in you."

Fíli's lips twitched. "Thank you, Uncle."

"Come, let us find your brother and tend to the wounded."

It didn't take long for Fíli to lead Thorin to where he had left Kíli on the battlefield. The rest of the company, Bilbo included, quickly joined them.

"Is it done? Is Ravina dead?" Bilbo asked.

"Aye, it is over," Thorin replied with a smile.

"Let's through a party to celebrate!" Bofur exclaimed.

The dwarves cheered in agreement as they began to head back towards the front gates of Erebor. Fíli assisted his brother in walking towards the mountain.

"You need to stop getting shot with arrows, brother," Fíli smiled tersely.

"I can't help it that archers are attracted to me."

The brothers began to laugh before Fíli grimaced and fell to the ground, pulling Kíli along with him. Kíli stumbled away a little, looking at Fíli in worry. "Fíli, are you alright? Are you hurt?"

The sudden change in Kíli's tone had attracted the attention of the rest of the company. Quickly they spun, their eyes going wide in concern as they took in the sight of Fíli. As Kíli went to reach out and touch his brother, Fíli's head shot up, his breathing heavy as he mouth contorted into a growl and his eyes casting daggers at Kíli as they shone of bright fire. "Fee?"

"Fools! Did you really think you could defeat me so easily?" His voice was not his own. Although Kíli recognized the sound of his brother's voice, it was fused with the voice of Ravina.

Slowly Fíli stood up, drawing his knife as he hovered over Kíli. Kíli could not run his leg too badly injured to try to move with it. All he could do was cower in his shadow.

"I will have my revenge."

And before anyone could do or say anything, Fíli plunged the knife into himself.

TBC...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, please don't kill me because of that cliffhanger. Hope you are enjoying this! Only 2 more chapters to go!


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I would be nice and post this chapter before tomorrow. ;)
> 
> Just one more to go after this! Thank you to my beta!

Thorin watched from the side as Óin finished wrapping Fíli's wound.

With a sigh, the healer approached, wiping the royal blood from his hands with a bloodied rag. "He's fine, for now. The knife managed to miss his vital organs and I managed to stop the bleeding. The good news is he'll live."

"When will he wake up?"

"And that's the bad news. I don't know. I thought it was the blood loss that caused him this but even then he should have responded to any sort of pain."

"That's because this is no normal sleep," came Gandalf's reply as he walked through the doorway to Fíli's chambers.

When the two dwarves spun around they watched as Gandalf slowly walked in and towards Fíli, placing his large hand upon the prince's head and muttering a few words.

"It's just as I feared," he muttered.

"Speak plainly," Thorin asked in a demanding tone.

"This is Ravina."

"Ravina is _dead_."

"Her body, yes, but her magic still resides in Fíli. Her hold over him had been so strong that a part of her remained inside him."

"How do we get rid of her?"

"This is beyond my skill or skill of any healers, even that of the Elves. I'm afraid there is nothing we can do but wait."

"Wait for what?"

"For Fíli to prove his strength."

* * *

The room was dark. Not a single object could be seen. A cool wind swept through, whistling through his golden hair as he looked around. Confusion was setting in as he tried to recall how he had gotten there. Everything was a blank.

"Hello?" he called out hesitantly.

His voice resonated in the room, bouncing back to only his ears. "Anyone there?"

The only sound he could hear was his voice as it rebounded. Fíli felt fear gripping at him. He had no idea where he was, how he got there and he was all alone.

The room got colder and stronger, a song carried along with it. Fíli looked around, the braids on his moustache hitting his cold skin. " _Fíli_ …."

The voice sounded familiar, even with how faint it was. "Who's there?"

The voice grew louder. A line of lights lit a path forward. With hesitation in his step he advanced. For good measure he pulled out his swords. Who knew what awaited him at the end.

When he reached the end of the corridor of lights, everything went pitch black. He couldn't see his hand in front of his face.

" _I have seen inside your soul, Fíli, son of Dís. I know your fears... your heart's desires."_

A single light illuminated in front of him, revealing Azog.

" _I know everything about you."_

Before Fíli could react, Azog began to charge. Although it was sloppy, he managed to roll out of the way just in time to miss the mace as it came flying towards his head.

Just as he managed to regain his balance, Azog was charging again. Fíli countered with a swift attack, his left blocking his mace while his right went to jab. His jab missed but he followed it with a quick slice, creating a shallow wound in Azog's thigh. The pale Orc fell to one knee as he blindly swung his mace. Fíli knocked it out of his hands and held his swords at Azog's neck. Before he could do anything, the lights were extinguished.

When he could see again, Azog was gone.

" _You cannot hide from me._ "

When he spun around he saw Ravina standing there, the malicious grin laughing at him. The lights flickered and she was gone. Fíli was growing tired of this game. "Come out, you coward! Come out and face me!"

The lights flickered once more and a cool voice said from behind him, "Meet your fear."

Fíli spun, and his heart nearly stopped.

Before him stood himself.

It was as if he were looking into a mirror.

While he held a look of shock, however, the Fíli standing before him was grinning. "Well, we finally meet at last."

"Who are you?"

"Isn't it obvious? I am you... well, the better parts of you. The stronger side."

"No, you're not real."

"Am I?"

Doppel-Fíli swung his sword at Fíli with a force he never knew could exist. Although the person standing before him had the same moves and techniques of himself, there was more power behind each move. Strength driven by anger, coldness and rage. This side of him was much stronger, that was true.

It didn't matter what Fíli did, each of his moves was matched and blocked. The evil Fíli finally managed to overpower the real Fíli, knocking him to the ground and stepping on his right arm, kneeling on his left shoulder and holding his swords dangerously close to his neck. "You cannot win. I am more powerful than you can ever be. My strength is greater than yours ever was. I always have been and always will be your better half."

With a growl Fíli replied, "You may be more powerful, but there is one problem."

"Oh, and what's that?"

Although it was rather painful, Fíli had managed to reach towards his belt where he had his knife and unsheathe it. With a quick thrust, he plowed it into the leg of the thing on top of him.

Using the stun and surprise from the attack, Fíli rolled him off and adjust his swords. The fake Fíli pulled the knife from his leg and glared at him, his eyes red and his teeth gritted.

After taking a deep breath, Fíli stated, "I already have my better half and it's not you."

With a warrior's cry he speared his sword through the fake Fíli's chest. He let out a gasp as his hands went to the sword sticking out of him, the blood seeping through black and tainted. Fíli watched as his figure shifted, alternating between Azog, Fíli and Ravina. Finally, it settled upon Ravina, who watched him as she slowly dissolved into nothing, the sword clattering the ground when her dust was gone.

Fíli panted, the adrenaline wearing off as he approached his sword. Before he could even grab it off the ground a pain shot through his entire body and he collapsed. The world went dark and he knew nothing more.

TBC...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, what did you think? Can you believe that the next chapter will be the last? I certainly can't!


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright everyone, here it is! The final chapter! I can't believe it is finally here! I want to thank each and everyone one of you for reviewing, adding this to your favorites, following and giving your feedback through all of this! I just want to shout out to everyone who reviewed!
> 
> ThornyHedge, beaniebaneenie, Minkster, dardragon, mooshkabug, and bria_sigh!
> 
> You are all beautiful people! Thank you again to my beta and now, the end of Not So Easily Broken!

Thorin stepped through the threshold of Fíli's room. Fíli was still unconscious on his bed with Kíli passed out in the chair beside him.

Kíli was holding his brother's hand in his own, his grip tight as if he was afraid that if he let go Fíli would dissolve.

Slowly he approached from the other side of the bed, running his hand along Fíli's golden hair.

"I'm sorry, Fíli," he muttered.

There was no chair for him to sit on but he did not need it. He sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes never leaving his sleeping nephew.

It pained him to see his heir so weak. His skin was pale, his face melancholic. There was very little movement in the rise and fall of his chest as his breathing stayed slow and fragile. There was no color in his lips – instead, they were ashen. If Thorin hadn't grabbed his nephew's hand, it would seem as if he were a ghost. The lack of warmth from Fíli's skin pained Thorin's heart.

"You are strong, Fíli. You can win. You are of the line of Durin. You are my kin. You will not be so easily broken."

The sting of tears trying to escape the corners of his eyes but he kept them at bay. "You have to come back. Come back to us."

As he stroked the back of his nephew's knuckles, he felt an increase in warmth. At first, he thought that it was just the heat being absorbed by his touch, but with a more critical eye, he watched as the ashen skin slowly began to regain its color. It began in his fingers and slowly worked its way up his arm.

"Fíli?"

As it began to spread quicker, Thorin stood up, resting his hand on Fíli's forehead. He risked a smile as he felt his temperature rise and his chest rise and fall stronger than it had. The color came back to his lips and his eyelids began to flutter.

When his blue eyes fully opened, they immediately landed on his kin.

"Uncle?" he asked in a meager, almost childish raspy voice.

Thorin couldn't help but let out an airy laugh in relief. "Welcome home."

"Kíli?"

Thorin nodded at his sleeping brother. Fíli smiled as he squeezed on his brother's hand.

Kíli slowly stirred, muttering something under his breath as he sat up. When he saw that Fíli was looking at him, awake and well, Kíli's chocolate eyes lit up with joy as he jumped from his seat. "Fíli!"

The brothers laughed as Kíli crushed his brother in a hug. "You're alive!"

"What happened?"

"What do you remember?"

Instinctively Fíli clenched his chest where his knife had been plunged. There were no words that needed to be spoken to prove that he remembered everything.

"Is that it? Is she gone?" Kíli asked.

"I... I think so."

"Well, there's only one way to find out."

* * *

Thorin immediately sent a dwarf to seek out the wizards and, very rapidly, Gandalf and Radagast arrived, along with the rest of the company in tow. Apparently, news had spread quickly of Fíli's wakening and they had all raced towards the chambers to see it for themselves.

Fíli lay still, trying not to look awkward as Radagast began his sniffing and examining.

After examining Fíli's fingernails and, again, yanking out some of Fílis hair to smell and taste, Radagast smiled. "She is gone, m'boy. No traces of dark magic anywhere."

"So, he's going to be alright?" Kíli inquired.

"I'm happy to say that, yes, he shall be just fine."

"This calls for a celebration!" Glóin and almost instantly the dwarves began to ramble on the details of said celebration.

* * *

The celebration was almost as grand as the celebration of Thorin's coronation.

For once, Fíli did not feel something niggling in the back of his mind. He actually felt as if he could enjoy himself.

As he laughed and joked with his brother and some of the others, Fíli spotted little Bilbo Baggins walking towards the balcony, his pipe in his hand. Fíli excused himself, pulling his own pipe from his pocket and following.

Bilbo had already lit his pipe and was happily blowing smoke rings in the air when Fíli approached. "May I join?"

He had caught Bilbo unprepared, nearly scaring the poor Hobbit out of his skin.

"Of course," Bilbo replied after seeing who it was.

Fíli stuffed his pipe with some pipeweed before lighting it. They smoked in silence, enjoying the feeling of peace that hadn't fallen around them for some time.

"I'm glad you are well again," Bilbo said, finally breaking the silence.

"As am I. Thank you for everything you have done. You really are quite the burglar."

Bilbo smirked. "I'm just sad that I shall be leaving so soon."

"When do you leave?"

"In the morning. I think it's time I returned home."

"How will you be getting back?"

"I don't know. I haven't really planned that far ahead."

"Perhaps... perhaps you don't have to."

Bilbo looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean?"

Fíli smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Leave the planning to me. I will see to it you have a way to your home. You helped us get here, it is only fair we help you get home as well."

* * *

Fíli packed his bags that night, making sure he had everything he needed for his long journey to the west.

As he placed a spare shirt in his bag, a low voice from the door asked, "So it is true then. You mean to leave."

He should have known that Thorin would have come to find him. Fíli had planned to tell Thorin of his means to see that Bilbo made it home safely in the morning.

"Nori?" Fíli inquired.

When Fíli turned around he watched as Thorin stepped further in, his arms crossing his chest. "Does it matter?"

"No, I guess. I was going to tell you, Uncle…"

"Why?"

Fíli hesitated, slightly confused by the question. "Why what?"

"Why must you leave?"

Fíli sighed. "I've done things, Thorin. Horrible, awful things that will haunt me. Dwarves are dead because of me. You and Kíli almost died because of me…"

"It wasn't you."

"I just need to get away... to clear my head. If I can just get away and do something good I can make up for what I've done."

Thorin nodded. "I understand. I may not like it, but I understand. You just keep yourself out of trouble."

Fíli nodded. "You remember when I found you practicing with a sword when you were young?"

Fíli laughed at the memory. "You were horrified that Mother would kill you for letting me near so sharp a weapon."

"I knew then that you would grow up to be a strong, loyal Durin. And you have proved it time and time again, especially through everything that has just happened."

"If I hadn't been weak then Ravina…"

"That was not weakness, Fíli. No one, not even the strongest warrior could have withstand what you went through. And after all of it, you still managed to defeat Ravina. You broke her hold on you by yourself. Weak? You are not weak. That was true strength and never have I been more proud of you."

A smile tugged at Fíli's lips. Thorin returned the smile and pulled his nephew into an embrace. "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, Fíli."

"Thank you, Uncle."

When they broke apart, Fíli asked, "You will explain to Kíli, will you?"

With a nod, Thorin placed his hand on Fíli shoulder. "Leave your brother to me."

* * *

The sun broke the next morning. Fíli was to meet Bilbo at the stables before they rode out.

When Fíli arrived he found not only Bilbo, but Kíli as well, already packed and saddled, ready to go. "Kíli, what are…?"

"Thorin told me what you were doing and said I should come to keep you out of trouble."

"I thought that was my job."

"Yes, well, a lot has changed, hasn't it?"

Fíli smiled, "Yes, yes it has."

After Fíli saddled his pony and rode up next to his brother and Bilbo, Bilbo said, "You don't have to join me on this journey. I'm sure I can handle myself."

"Oh Bilbo," Kíli smiled, resting a hand on the Hobbit's shoulders.

"If there is one thing you should know, Bilbo, it is this," Fíli began, pointing at the road ahead, "It's a dangerous business, Bilbo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to."

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it, folks, it is the END! Awww, I'm so sad...so what would you guys think of a sequel? Would you want it? What would you want in it? I have some ideas but I want to see what you guys think first before I press forward with it. Please let me know!


	26. Author's Note

Hey everyone! So after much consideration, I have begun work on the sequel. Here is the information on it:

Title: No Safe Paths

Summary: Sequel to Not So Easily Broken. Fíli and Kíli are escorting Bilbo back on the long road to the Shire. They had hoped that perhaps their journey would be easy compared to what they had just endured but they are about to learn that there are no safe paths once you step over the edge of the Wild. AU. No Slash!

Keep an eye out for it when it comes out. If there is anything specific you would like to see, PM me and let me know! I am still fleshing out events for this so any ideas are welcome! Thanks for reading Not So Easily Broken and I look forward to seeing you in the future!


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